When you first go onto Twitter you hurry through the setup process with not much thought about what your Twitter name should be or the importance of who you would like to follow as you just want to get through to the main Twitter home page to send your first tweet.
If this relates to you then don’t worry we can go back to the Twitter setup settings that are important to your Twitter presence.
I am going to go through with you the important aspects of your Twitter account which will optimise your profile to get found and to build your presence.
Twitter name / handle
Your Twitter name or otherwise known as a Twitter handle or username is something you choose in the initial setup process of Twitter. It automatically selects a username for us by looking at our name and providing a username which would be appropriate for example: “Zoe1234”.
Most people go with what Twitter provide and are unaware of the importance of this username in Twitter searches. You need to choose a Twitter name that is either keyword rich or you company name to help you get found when people are searching in Twitter.
Keywords are what people would type to find something in Google. A good tool to use to find keywords is Google Keyword Planner.
If you have already set your Twitter name / username you can change this. You can change it by going to the top right where you see your head and shoulder icon, and click on the “settings”. Once you are then taken to the profile settings you can change your “username”.
Twitter profile picture
I always suggest having a profile picture as your Twitter profile image rather than a company logo. It enables your followers to build a rapport, know-like-trust factor, and know who they are going to do business with. We all know that people buy from people.
Twitter header
Use your Twitter header to showcase your services, products or your working environment. This could be speaking, conducting workshops, it could even be displaying your products such as FREE eBooks! Use this space with a visual graphic.
I recommend Canva.com to create your Twitter header. Canva provides an exact size image template for your Twitter header that you can drag and drop your own images, colours and text into an image for your header.
Twitter bio
Your Twitter bio is where you display what you do. You only get 160 characters for your bio. Again think of keywords and putting in relevant hashtags will also help when people search in Twitter. It will help with your Twitter profile ranking.
Twitter location
Make sure you enter your location of where you are based. It’s important you consider whether this location is also based in another country as well. If it is then please do put your county or country.
Twitter time settings
The Twitter time settings in your profile settings is pre-set to Amsterdam time zone. Make sure this is changed to your local time zone as it can affect any third party tools that may be posting to your profile.
Twitter theme colour
Your brand is important so therefore you should keep your brand consistent across all marketing and online sites. You can change your theme colour to match your company colours in your profile settings, and clicking on “Design”.
First tweet!
I would love to see your first tweet! Or a tweet after you have read this blog! Tag me @zoe_cairns and use the hashtag #zcsocialmedia! Would love to hear your feedback.
You can send your first tweet by clicking on the top right icon which is a square with a feather pen in the middle. Enter your message which is known as a tweet (please note you are restricted to 140 characters!) and click send!
I will be sharing more blogs covering Twitter strategies over the next week!