Branding Your Twitter Page

You've created your Twitter account, added a profile image and bio, and are paying attention to what others are tweeting. Before you get too active on Twitter, take the time to complete the overall design of your page. Twitter doesn’t offer a lot of options for customizing your Twitter account page, but you should take advantage of the few options they have to showcase your brand.

The main design feature at the top of your Twitter page is a header image. Choose or design an image that provides a clear impression about your business. Be creative but make sure the header image you use doesn’t clash with your company branding. The placement of your profile image will differ on the web versus a mobile device. When designing your Twitter page, test on several devices to make sure your profile image doesn’t clash with or cover up important sections of your header image.

Deciding what images or text to use for your Twitter header and profile images depends on what impression you’re trying to make, what message you’re trying to convey and what imagery you have at your disposal or can create. Some visuals you could use include:

1. Photographs. A professional, properly lit and composed photograph can personalize your page and introduce the person or people behind the tweets. Feature team members, products your company sells, a relevant scene or other representative image in the photo or photos you choose to illustrate your Twitter account page. Consider creating a collage of several images to show different aspects of your business.
2. Company logo. You can use your company logo as your profile image or your header image, but you wouldn’t want to use the same image for both. Not all company logos translate well as a header image and some won’t reduce well as a profile image in the Twitter timeline so experiment until you get the right balance of branding.
3. An illustration. Not all header or profile images need to be photographs or logos. Cartoons and other illustrated graphics can project a clear image and make for a compelling design.
4. Words. Some header images include a tagline or other phrase or quote as letters directly placed over a photograph, image or colored background. Keep in mind that the words may not show up properly on a smaller smartphone screen.

To upload a header image, click on Edit Profile then click on the camera icon at the top of your page. The ideal image size for a Twitter header is 1500 x 500 pixels. Smaller images may appear blurry and images with different dimensions will appear distorted. For your profile image, click the camera icon on the profile image square and upload an image that is at least 400 x 400 pixels. Always use a square shaped image for your profile so it does not cut off.

You can change your Twitter header or profile image any time you’d like and even plan to swap it out seasonally or for holidays, special events and promotions. To create more brand consistency, use the same or similar header as your Facebook cover image, however, make sure the image is in the appropriate size and dimensions because the file for your Facebook cover image will most likely be smaller.

Other than the two main images you can upload to brand your Twitter page, you can modify the color theme of your page that shows up as font and button colors. To change colors, click Edit Profile and then click the Theme Color button under your account bio and website link. Twitter displays only 10 color choices, but if you click on the plus sign next to the colors, you can enter a hexadecimal number to select a more specific color. Carry through your brand colors when picking the simple color scheme for your page.

The rest of your Twitter page branding is conveyed by what you tweet and also the tweets you like. The tweets you like show up in the Like section of your Twitter account so be thoughtful about what tweets you interact with as they also reflect on your brand. For visual consistency, create images to upload with your own tweets that are designed with your logo, brand colors or other elements that match your overall look. Remember that your brand identity is not only visual – it is also what content you publish and the tone you use when you post.