Tips For Creating A Professional Twitter Profile

I love using the social media platform, Twitter. I enjoy the challenge of putting my message across succinctly in 140 characters or less – it really makes you think. It offers a great opportunity for engagement and there is so much information your can glean from it.

Whilst many of my clients are familiar with Facebook I find that Twitter is not really understood and therefore overlooked as an option in a social media strategy.  With the constant changes  at Facebook and its dwindling post ‘reach’ it really is time to seriously consider if Twitter should be incorporated in your strategy.

So this week I am focusing on some tips for creating a Professional Twitter Profile:

• Username: often referred to as a Twitter handle and limited to 15 characters. I recommend that you use your real name or company name but avoid using numbers.  If you name is already taken consider using an underscore e.g. John_Smith

• Bio: This is important for both new followers, as they will check this out before deciding to follow and for Google search.  You’ve got a total of 160 characters and it is important to ensure you include your keywords.  It is an opportunity to tell everyone what you do, why you do it, and what interests you.

• Profile picture: this represents you and your business. Not only is it on your homepage but it is also displayed every time you post a tweet. Remember that Twitter is a ‘social’ media platform and you want people to engage with you so use a good photo – it is really worth investing in a professional headshot to be used across all your social media for consistency. The recommended dimensions are 400×400 pixels. Whatever you do make sure you get rid of the default egg image.

• Header photo: This is similar to the cover picture on Facebook. The recommended dimensions are 1500×500 pixels. Make sure your header coordinates with your branding doesn’t clash with your profile picture or make it difficult to read your bio.

• Theme: Twitter provides a number of default themes with a variety of colours that can theme in with your branding but you can also upload your own custom background.

• Website: Don’t forget to add your website address to your profile  If you don’t have a website or you don’t want to use it then you could include a link to your blog, your LinkedIn profile or your Facebook page.

Once your profile is set up and you are happy, then you are ready to get going.

The first thing you need to think about is who to follow.

I will be covering this and more in my next blog post but in the meantime why not follow me @KL_Creativity and for interesting and informative business info follow @10to12BizClub

If you would like help with any aspect of setting up your account please get in touch – karen@littleacornmarketing.co.uk

Thinking outside the box – marketing collaboration

As a business owner you are no doubt working with limited resources and any budget that you spend on marketing activities needs to deliver results.

I was attending a training course last week and it was really interesting listening to the other delegates talking about the challenges they face in developing their businesses.  A pattern started to emerge and it was clear that although their product and service offerings were all very different that actually shared the same target customers. Some of their marketing activities were very similar too – they had websites, they used social media and they enjoyed networking.

We are obviously all focused on our own businesses but sometimes we are too focused and can overlook opportunities that are ‘outside the box’ to do something a little different. These ladies had the ideal opportunity to collaborate on a marketing campaign – a dressmaker, a photographer and a confidence coach.  For example the professional business women who, for whatever reason, needs some coaching, then has a new outfit made for herself and then has her new headshot taken. What a great story with lots of marketing opportunity!

So what are some of key success factors when considering a collaboration?

1. Have a clear objective for wanting to collaborate?
2. Research and brainstorm best companies to work with.
3. Be clear about what you have to offer the collaboration.
4. Ensure you have a clear tactical plan with responsibilities so everyone is clear of the expectations
5. Make sure you build in a measurement element so you know how successful you have been

During March 2015 this subject will be further discussed as part of the 10-12 Business Club structured network meetings. More information on where you can hear more can be found at:  http://www.10-12businessclub.co.uk/business-networking-meetings-berkshire/

So do you have any examples of a collaborative project you have worked on?