Optimizing Your Twitter Profile
Posted on Mon, Apr 04, 2011
In my last blog post on the Ten Best Business Practices for Twitter (posted on holiday from Italy) I promised to follow up with more details on how to adhere to each practice. Now that I am recoverd from jet lag, I am keeping to that commiment!
The first Twitter best business practice I am focusing on is optimizing your Twitter profile. There are critical things that every Twitter profile should do:
Provide critical and relevant information in the Twitter account description
Each corporate Twitter handle should accurately describe the company as well as provide a link to the business's website. The link is critical for two reasons: 1) driving inbound links to a company's website and 2) verifying the Twitter handle as official. The link is critical now, as Twitter has closed its beta account verification program.
When a company maintains several Twitter accounts, it is good to clarify what each Twitter account is for. For example, Netflix has a corporate Twitter account - @Netflix and a customer service account - @Netflixhelps. On the landing page for @Netflix, the Company aptly describes who they are and provides a link to its customer service channel as well as its website.
Personal Twitter accounts should also provide identifying information, including who you are as a professional and a photo. In addition, there should be a link to a corporate bio, personal blog or LinkedIn account. I regularly encounter colleagues joining Twitter using Twitter's default egg image with no bio or indication of why they are on Twitter.
This is a sure way to limit your ability to generate followers. In fact, Hubspot has found that having a bio can boost your follower counts. According to their research, Twitter accounts with a description have eight times more followers.
Integrate corporate brand and logo into Twitter background
The best way to ensure consistency is to create a custom background using existing corporate collateral. A custom background can be uploaded within the design settings of a Twitter account. The uploaded image should be consistent with a company's color theme and logo. Jet Blue provides a good example of this integration.
Build or modify your background in compliance with Twitter's new design specs
In September of 2010, Twitter introduced a site redesign which impacted Twitter backgrounds. Prior to the introduction, there was ample room to use the margins to include additional information about your Twitter handle. For example, Southwest Airlines provided a significant information on the company in the left margin of its Twitter page:
With the introduction of Twitter's new design specs, this information is now covered up, as illustrated below:
There are a number of resources to help companies with managing these changes including a great post from Mashable on HOW TO: Customize Your Background for the New Twitter.
As it relates to customizing backgrounds with the new Twitter, I like how American Idol is using the reduced left margin to provide critical information.
Some may argue whether focusing on the right Twitter background makes sense any more with so many accessing Twitter through mobile devices or third-party clients, e.g. Tweetdeck and Hootsuite. However, I do think it is important for garnering followers. Before hitting the follow button, many still go to the profile to check out who they are following.
Keep it human
Some argue that companies should always have a human face as it relates to their Twitter presence. Comcast has made this a practice, initially with Frank Eliason (who grew to social media fame by responding to customer complaints on Twitter) and now with Bill Gerth who oversees the @ComcastCares Twitter account. That Twitter account sports Bill's image, not a corporate logo, reenforcing that Comcast views Twitter as a platform for human interaction, as well as providing transparency on who is doing the communicating.
Other businesses, like Southwest Airlines provide a link to the personal profile of the person in charge of their Twitter account. Jet Blue provides a link to a public list of those people behind their Twitter account.
I am not sure if having a human identity directly linked to Twitter business accounts is critical. However, I do believe transparency is essential. What are your thoughts?