With over 300+ million users on Twitter, I see way too many people not taking advantage of the amazing branding and exposure available through their site. Twitter isn’t just about updates and engaging with others, it’s also about realizing how many people are seeing your tweets and visiting your Twitter profile page on a daily basis.
In this article we are going to highlight a few different ways you should be using Twitter to actively grow your following, while also establishing yourself as an expert and standing out from the crowd. At the same time, I’ll also cover a few different examples and resources to help you achieve these same results.
You Need to Have a High Quality Logo or Photo
Your Twitter avatar or photo not only says a lot about you, it’s also something thousands (if not millions) of people are going to see.
While it may seem like a good idea to throw up a nice picture of yourself with your dog or from a recent vacation, you want to make sure you have a quality photo that represents you well. This is even more important if you have a web site or brand that you are representing.
You can see two great examples below of how brands should be using their logos on Twitter. Both are easy to see and represent the company’s branding well.
The higher quality your photo, the more it will stand out. When using a logo for as your Twitter avatar, be sure to remove any excessive wording, as these Twitter icons are small and no one would be able to read it.
Your Twitter Background is a Billboard
In addition to seeing your Twitter icon, your Twitter profile page and background is also going to get some major exposure. For this reason, you should invest the time and effort to create something unique, while also branding yourself as an expert.
You can see a screenshot of my Twitter background below. It’s an older one and I haven’t updated it to the new size specs on Twitter yet, but it still represents my brand pretty well. There is no doubt that when someone see’s my Twitter profile page, they will associate my real face and name with the cartoon icon on the page. It’s been a great way to gain more exposure to fellow Twitter users, while also establishing my brand in the blogging and internet marketing space.
To give you a couple more ideas, you can check out the Twitter profiles for @PatFlynn and @Wishpond below.
Pat has a very loyal following online and for anyone that already knows him, they will recognize his Twitter background is from when he spoke at NMX in Las Vegas and arrived in a Delorean for his keynote.
Then we also have Wishpond, which is a solution for online marketers and brands to grow their presence and lead generation online. Their Twitter background is very simple, yet still represents what the brand does and delivers it in just a few simple icons.
Take some time to look around your Twitter friends and followers to see what type of images, logos and backgrounds people are using on their accounts.
How to Create Your Own Twitter Icons and Backgrounds
Now that you’ve seen a few examples of what individuals and brands are using as their icons and backgrounds on Twitter, it’s time for you to improve what you have in place as well. However, not all of us are graphic designers, so I wanted to point out a few resources for you as well.
Room214 created this nice image on the different sizing options for creating the best looking images for your profile picture and cover photo. The cover photo should be 1500×500 pixels and your profile picture is a recommended image size of 400×400 pixels.
As for actually creating your Twitter images and logos, I also recommend that you take a look at this logo design contest website. There are lots of different places to get a single custom image or logo design done, but with design marketplace sites you actually get to receive multiple designs for one low price. This increases the chances you will find a logo design that fits your brand’s identity perfectly.
You can see a breakdown of how a typical logo or Twitter design contest works.
No matter if you are creating your own logo design or background for Twitter, be sure to put in the time and effort to make sure it’s not only high quality, but also delivers a positive message that portrays your brand.
