Friday, May 11, 2012

The “Dos” and “Don’ts” of Using a Twitter Profile As a Business Platform

Bio
When someone follows you, you’ll get an e-mail announcing this news. These e-mails don’t contain the user’s tweets, but they do contain their Twitter bio. As such, make sure yours is compelling.

For example, @Levick doesn’t just say we’re a “crisis communications firm.” We add, “We are unparalleled in building brand equity and protecting reputations.” (For an individual, if you want to be publicly associated with your employer, don’t write, “Director at Levick Strategic Communications.” Write, “Director at @Levick.”)

Also, if multiple people manage your company account, call them out, either by their full handle (a la @Poynter) or their initials (a la @AmericanExpress).

Wallpaper
Twitter allows users to customize the wallpaper of their page on Twitter.com. In general, there are four ways to go:

a. The visual way, a la @Disney, @Staples, and @WWF, which employ big visuals that immediately communicate their brand
b. The logo way, a la @Ford and @LinkedIn, which use their logo as their wallpaper
c. The informative way, a la @Intel and @Mashable, which list their contact info and links to their other social channels
d. The product way, a la @Pepsi and @Lays, which display a PhotoShopped pic of their key wares

Addendum (5/18/2012): Success!