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Today, Sept. 18, Twitter announced design changes—which went in effect today—to its profile page that it says will enable brands to better showcase themselves and drive stronger engagement across platforms.
The most sweeping change is that the profile pages are optimized for iPad, iPhone and Android, allowing communicators to engage across these hugely popular platforms.
Twitter users can also feature a new header photo on their profile pages that will appear across mobile and desktop.
In addition, Twitter announced that brands now have more control of the creative elements within the background image on their profile page. The new design gives communicators the flexibility to align the image and, therefore, use both left and right side of the background image to display content. The photos module on the profile page has also been enhanced to show the most recent six images a user has shared.
Tim Haran, senior manager of social media at USANA Health Sciences, offers up some tips for brands to best leverage these new profile page changes:
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Choose a Header that Resonates: “Leave the logo for the profile photo and use the valuable header real estate to showcase what your company is,” says Haran.
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Keep It Simple: With the profile photo and bio smack dab in the middle of the header, Haran figures a simpler header image would be the better choice.
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Consider the Small Screen: On iPhone and Android, your Twitter page will be scaled down. “The less busy the better,” says Haran. “ And you don't want your profile photo obscuring a key part of your header.”
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Be Creative: Do what @RyanSeacrest did—incorporate your profile photo into your header image, suggests Haran.
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Spruce Up Your Bio: This might be a good time to evaluate your bio, now that it's front and center, says Haran. Use keywords and make sure you have a link for visitors to obtain more information about your brand.
Tim Haran will impart more Twitter expertise at the PR News Social Media Measurement Conference, set for Oct. 2 in New York City.
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01