- May 28, 2014
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Twitter Introduces Four-In-One Photo Collages
Twitter used to be known for the sparse simplicity of its text-only Tweets — pithy messages consisting of 140 characters or less. But with the addition of Vine, and the integration of photos into its news feed, Twitter is becoming filled with rich media.
We recently wrote about the introduction of Promoted Tweets to the integrated marketer’s toolkit, as a way to help generate awareness, traffic and leads.
Now Twitter’s latest announcement (March 28) launches two new mobile features designed to “make photos more social.” One is photo tagging, which lets you tag the people in your photo (similar to Facebook); the other is the ability to include up to four photos in a Tweet.
Photo Tagging
Twitter users can now tag up to 10 people in a photo and still have all 140 characters left. You get notified if you’re the one being tagged.
Four Photos in One Tweet
Now you can share a series of four photos that automatically create a collage. Anyone can view Tweets with multiple photos, but the ability to upload multiple photos starts with iPhone only (Android and twitter.com to follow soon).
Although this news is directed toward users, marketers are starting to consider how this new format can help businesses tell more visual stories. The four-photo collage can work much like a four-panel comic strip in its storytelling capacity.
Early Marketing Experimenters
Advertising Age took note of a few “early-adopting brands” including Meow Mix, Izze and General Electric, which are experimenting already with the four-photo format to “effectively pack their tweets with more content.”
GE’s photo collage contrasts striking photos of machinery with its message that, “True brilliance is remembered by its effect on people, not things.” Interestingly, both their photo caption (“The greatest thing an engineer makes is a difference.”) and Tweet message could have fit within the 140-character limit! But there’s no denying the visual impact of the simple headline stretched across the four photos.
True brilliance is remembered by its effect on people, not things. pic.twitter.com/wQjjNEF2nH
— General Electric (@generalelectric) March 28, 2014
It may not need mentioning, but you should know that the new four-photos-in-one-Tweet format doesn’t cost any media dollars (unless you make it a Promoted Tweet). And there are probably as many creative ways to use the format as there are businesses. But in case you’re not sure yet whether Twitter can make a difference in your business, consider taking your own 30-Day Twitter Challenge.
