Twitter is a powerful platform.
Think about how many marketing, business, and political campaigns have been thrust into the limelight because of Twitter.
For a lot of people, the platform serves as a place where they get their news and updates, and for B2B growth marketers like us, it’s where you can reach your prospects.
But, here’s the thing.
Not anybody can be a star on Twitter.
Like a lot of social media platforms, it still requires a certain level of optimization to get noticed.
In this guide, we’ll look at how you can do a little Twitter profile optimization and turn your profile into a landing page.
#LetsStartOptimizing!
Business vs Personal Twitter Profiles
There are different types of Twitter profiles.
You can have a strictly personal Twitter account, a business or corporate account, a hybrid account, persona business, etc.
All of them have their own advantages and drawbacks, but if you were to ask us from a strict growth perspective, you should aim for a hybrid business and personal account.
Here’s why.
Twitter was primarily built for people who want to share their short opinions and voices on different topics, it’s a personal platform for many, even those who manage corporate accounts.
Managing a hybrid account allows you to be more relational with people while still allowing leeway to talk shop.
It allows your followers to get to know who you really are.
And, that gives you a sense of vulnerability.
A lot of your prospects like this because they get to see you in a different light and you become more relatable.
Think of the way Elon Musk promotes his businesses while still talking about his personal opinions on the platform. His followers love this because they get news on what he’s doing but at the same time they find him relatable because he has his own opinions just like you and me.
A personal account will also allow you to get more traction than a corporate account because people would rather talk to a “person” on Twitter than a brand.
People won’t talk to a smaller brand, but they will talk to a normal person with a couple of followers.
This is also useful if you’re trying to grow your account from scratch.
A hybrid personal and business account is the best way to go.
Twitter Profile Picture Optimization
Your headshot has to be inviting.
There’s no excuse for you not to get a headshot that looks good.
Yes, selfies are alright if that’s how you brand yourself, but more often than not, you want a clear headshot that connects with people.
So, how do you do that?
First of all, you don’t have to smile. You want to put on the face that you have when you’re excited to introduce yourself to new people.
But, this isn’t an excuse for you to frown or look dejected, the expression that you want to put on is inviting. This will help show people who you really are and get them to like you.
Next don’t put on anything formal if that’s now how you dress anyway. You want to wear clothes that you’d normally put on in a Zoom call or an actual meeting. This complements the natural look that you want to go for.
Lastly, you want to eliminate any background that you have.
Why?
Because it distracts people from your face.
If you do choose to upload a candid photo make sure that the background is as plain as possible so that it won’t distract people from looking at your face.
I would suggest putting a solid colored background behind your headshot using colors that are part of your personal or corporate brand. This makes your face stand out and it helps highlight your features.
Take a professional photo whenever you can and not just pull one off of your phone.
Optimize Your Cover Photo
Social media cover photos form the largest piece of visual real estate on any profile, and you need to use this space properly to make the most out of it.
Now there are several ways of doing this, but today I want to go over the three methods that you should be using as a Twitter growth hacker.
These three methods are easy to deploy and should be ready to go with minimal requirements such as a good photo and cloud photo editing software like Canva.
Method 1: You in Action and Your Passion
This is by far our favorite method of optimizing Twitter cover photos because all it requires is a photo of you working on your passions.
The reason this method is so effective is that it immediately tells your visitors about who you are and what you do for a living.
At just one glance they already know what type of person you are and if they like what they see, it acts as a hook for them to keep reading through your profile.
However, don’t just take any ordinary photo, it has to be put out the aesthetic that you’re trying to achieve with your brand.
For example, at BAMF, we’re all about growth so we took this awesome aerial photograph from up high with the subject, yours truly, being on top of the office, signifying growth with no limits.
Sometimes the approach can be more obvious and playful such as this example with Danny Sullivan wearing casual clothes literally telling people the industry that he’s in and what he can offer his followers.
You can opt for a picture of you at work as shown by Richard Branson here in zero gravity to show people what a day in the office – or spacecraft – looks like.
Admittedly, not all of us can leave earth to take a photo like Branson, but take a look at the photos that you have right now of you…
- Helping a colleague
- Teaching a class
- Doing volunteer work
- Engineering a solution
- Hard at work at your desk
These are all great shots that you can probably take advantage of and would look great to create converting Twitter cover photos that draw people into your profile.
Method 2: Add Conversion Elements
Next up we have a familiar approach that you’ve seen us do on our LinkedIn.
It’s the corporate branding plus conversion elements that work really well as a CTA to tell people about what you do and how you can benefit them.
You can do a lot with this method such as:
- List your services out
- Stick in your other social media handles
- Add photos of your products
- Work corporate colors and branding into your cover photo
- Show other photos of you in action
What we love about this approach is that it’s designed to fully convert from the moment your visitor arrives on your Twitter profile.
However, it does come with one caveat.
You end up building your Twitter profile to look like a business profile even though you want to talk about more personal things. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you have a business-like audience, but it could out off some people from dealing with you.
Method 3: Aesthetic Statement
Lastly, we have the aesthetic statement, which is showing people something that shows your aesthetic.
Check out this prime example with Matt Cutts just putting out a solid color as part of his branding.
Now, this is common among a lot of Twitter users and it’s a pretty good way of highlighting your profile and your personality.
Just make sure it’s interesting enough to elicit a “hooked” response to your Twitter profile.
Handle
Your handle is how people will find you on the platform.
So, keep it as simple as possible.
Just your first and last name combined will do.
There’s no need for you to get too creative at this point.
However, if you have a nickname like @mrgrowmybusiness you can use that, too.
Make sure that the handle that you choose to use is a name that people recognize you for and can easily type down the search box. This is part of creating a good UX within a platform and that matters when you’re doing lead generation.
Name
Always put in your first and last name, but it has to be the name most people are familiar with.
As an added piece of optimization, you can also elect to put in something else alongside your name such as your job title or what you’re known for.
For example:
Joe Smith – Bringing People Closer
It adds a little bit more character to your name.
Some growth hackers also choose to add emojis onto the name field, too, but we often avoid that because it can become too much.
This section is limited to 50 characters so use it well.
How to Write a Twitter Bio
Treat your Twitter bio like your LinkedIn headline, it might not follow the same format, but both are designed to do two things:
a) tell people who you are in as few characters as possible
b) get them interested to follow or interact with you
So, how do you do it?
Formula 1: The Multi-Line
The formula I use is simple:
My job title and where I work + a few interesting facts about myself + one personal fact that embodies my personality.
Notice how clean it looks?
I divided it into two so that the first thing people see is my professional qualifications and then the “hook” is my personality and passions.
However, if you want to use more than one line there is a caveat.
Twitter allows you to use the return/enter key on desktop, but the problem is that on mobile it removes that line break. Since a lot of people check Twitter on the app on their phones, make sure that your lines look logical when read without line breaks.
Formula 2: Dividers
If you’ve been reading our guides on LinkedIn optimization, you’re probably already familiar with this method because it involves splitting up facts about you using dividers.
This is designed just like a LinkedIn headline, but you’re aiming for it to be shorter.
Prince Ea does it with his Twitter account and it looks clean, concise and it also hooks you in.
You can use half pipes, emojis, and pretty much anything as long as it’s clear to your profile viewer.
The formula is simple, tell people who you are, add some social proof, and of course, a clear CTA.
Formula 3: Single line no colorful dividers
The last formula we’ll show you is using a single line with no dividers which is arguably the simplest method. You can use multiple sentences here as long as you tell people about who you are.
Gary Vee’s Twitter account is the best example of this.
He puts down personal facts about himself, tells people about what he does, and even tosses in an emoji in the mix.
Twitter Bio Tips
- Twitter allows you to use the return/enter key with your Twitter bio so you can split your text into two parts. However, this doesn’t show on mobile, be wary of how you split your text.
- Always use at least one emoji. Remember that Twitter is also considered to be a more casual platform so you want to speak the way people speak on it. If you can use emojis on a professional platform like LinkedIn, there’s no stopping what you can do on Twitter.
- Yes, you can use links on your bio, but please don’t use the full hyperlink with the https in the beginning. Just put in your address and the domain. It makes things cleaner.
- If you have multiple Twitter accounts, you can put in their handles in optimizing your Twitter bio.
You can use up to 160 characters in your bio section.
Location
You don’t have to put your exact location in this section. A lot of people get away with city and country or city and state.
There is also the option to get creative here and say you come from a random place like “growth hacking land”, the choice is up to you. I would strongly advise that you don’t do this though.
If you do decide to go this route make sure that whatever you put in ties in with the overall theme of the profile. Don’t be goofy with your location if you’re trying to maintain a professional appearance, it doesn’t tie and it’s inconsistent.
You have 30 characters for your location.
Website
You have 100 characters to put in your website link, and you can pretty much link to anywhere on your website if you have that much space. However, you want to keep the links mostly to your homepage.
Alternatively, you can stick in your LinkedIn profile link or the link to a booking page like Calendly – the latter if you’re branding yourself as an influencer so that you can bring in leads ASAP.
These are both acceptable uses of this particular section.
Don’t use URL shorteners here if you’re using your website. I would only use a URL shortener if I was trying to disguise a UTM tracking link to a landing page.
What Should You Use as Your Pinned Tweet?
Your pinned tweet is basically any tweet that you want your Twitter profile visitors to see the moment that they’re done reading about your bio and checking out your photo.
However, it’s more than just your favorite tweet or retweet.
It’s also an extension of your personality.
Once people take in who you are based on what you tell them and the photos that they see, your pinned Tweet confirms if everything is in sync.
A lot of people make judgments on who the person is based on what tweet is pinned because it is what you “choose” to showcase.
You can use this as an opportunity to help them dive into your opinions or you can also show everyone how much clout you have by pinning your most engaged tweet.
But, there’s also an alternative which is not to pin a tweet at all. This is normal and it makes you look more active on the platform especially if you’re tweeting at least once a day.
Takeaways on Twitter Profile Optimization
Twitter is one of the most powerful platforms out there with a lot of B2B growth marketers increasingly using the platform as a way to connect with their prospects.
It’s an easy way to get noticed and you are guaranteed a decent amount of exposure if you put in the effort.
However, you won’t get very far without Twitter profile optimization.
Optimizing your profile allows you to become more relatable to the Twitter population turning your profile into a landing page for your business and a channel to nurture leads arriving into this pipeline.
By following this guide, you can increase the chances of getting more leads, enlarge your marketing surface area, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
