Friday, August 2, 2013

How to Set Up a Twitter Account Like a Pro

7 Tips to Make Your Twitter Profile Shine

by @dinoalphabet


As of May 2013, there are 554 million active Twitter users. With such high numbers, Twitter is a great opportunity to gain exposure for professionals and for businesses. Whether it is a professional account, personal account, or a business account, in order to maximize your Twitter experience, it is important to have your account set up professionally and correctly. Your Twitter presence can be perceived as a first impression to a potential client or employer and you can easily steer away people with an incomplete or boring Twitter profile. Here are some tips on how to intelligently set up your Twitter account.
  • Pick a good name. If you’re using Twitter for personal use, add your full name. If you’re using it to promote a business, use the name of the company you are trying to promote.
  • Pick a good handle. On Twitter, your username, or handle, is how people identify you. It is a way to get your readers attention and what they remember you by.  It should be plain and simple, yet unique.  If your name is Han Solo, some good Twitter handles for you might be @HanSolo or @CaptainSolo. Avoid using digits, symbols, and spaces at all cost.
  • Select good profile pictures. People use social media to be social. It puts a more personal touch to your account if you have a clear head shot of yourself. Not only do you come off as more professional, but if you set a picture of Spongebob to your profile no one will take you seriously, unless you're tweeting for Nickelodeon. If you are using Twitter for your company, use your company logo as a profile picture.
  • Utilize your background. Twitter allows you to select a background picture behind your profile photo. It makes no sense to not utilize this and it drives me nuts when I click on a Twitter page and find it black. Make a creative background, showcase some of your personal photography or use a picture from your company that you are promoting. Give your followers something to look at.
  • Fill out your bio correctly. I just came across a bio that only read “Peace&Love<3”. This tells me absolutely nothing about the user and gives me no reason to follow them. Your bio is a brief description about who you are and what you are about. Most people don’t realize that what you have in your bio can come up in Twitter search and can be found in search engines. This is key when trying to gain followers so describe yourself, your specialties and some of your interests. If you are representing a business, add the services you offer. Also, include your location in your bio. It is important for possible clients and employers to see where you are. Make sure you proofread and check for spelling errors in your bio, too.
  • Add a link to your website or blog to your Twitter bio. If you have a website or blog, Twitter is a great way to get some page views and website traffic. Its another tool in the toolbox so use it.
  • Follow a bunch of people. A good rule of thumb is anywhere from 75-100 people at first. Make sure they're people in your industry or users that you find interesting. Favorite celebrities, actors, athletes and news sites are always a good start.  

So now, you have your account and profile set up and you’re ready to dive into the vast Twitter Sea of knowledge. What do you do now? Engage. Social Media is about engaging with others. Its about communicating and meeting new people. The worst thing you can do on any social media platform is to not be social. Respond, retweet and favorite other peoples tweets and it will start happening to you.

Were these tips helpful? Are you an expert that has more tips that I may have missed? I'd love to hear back from you!