How to Brand Your Twitter Page

Posted by Katie Noonan

As anyone who frequents the PRLawyer may have guessed, I have developed a bit of an obsession with Twitter. In fact, I worry that if I dedicate another blog to being a Twitter cheerleader, I might come in one day and find the PRLawyer’s password mysteriously changed. Nevertheless, there is a great blog from Darren Rowse of Twitip that I recommend to any Tweeter interested in branding their Twitter page.

In addition to the 12 generic backgrounds that Twitter provides, you may have noticed in the Settings section under Design that there are options to “Change background image” and “Change design colors.” Rowse urges, and I agree, that changing from the generic aqua blue background is an important first step even if you have no interest in branding your Twitter page. Choosing from one of the other 12 background choices will at the very least make it seem like you’ve actually spent time familiarizing yourself with Twitter’s features and will also show a little personality.

For those looking to create a brand-specific Twitter page there are some great sites on the Web where you can find unique backgrounds, or pay to have a custom background designed. I recommend TwitterImage.com where there are a myriad of backgrounds to choose from and for $100 you can get a custom background created. For companies using Twitter for customer relations, $100 will likely generate a much higher return when customers start following your Tweets and engaging in dialogue about your products.

If you don’t want to spend the money to get a custom generated Twitter page, you can always attack creating a background yourself. I spent time attempting to brand Gina Rubel’s page using Furia Rubel’s brand materials. It was definitely time consuming, but for Tweeters who have a knack for design this is a viable option. Keep in mind the varying monitor sizes and differences in screen resolution. After spending quite a bit of time to come up with a background I was happy with, I was eager to log on my Mac at home that night, only to find that the formatting was much different.

In his blog, Rowse offers readers plenty of tips, and I encourage anyone who Tweets to read and subscribe to his blog. In the meantime, be sure to update that Twitter page. According to Rowse, “If you don’t care enough to change the standard Twitter avatar and generic Twitter background, what it tells me is that you probably aren’t worth following, and if you’re using Twitter to promote your blog or company and don’t have a custom background, you’re missing out on an excellent opportunity.”

Twitter Background Sites

• Twitter Image- http://www.twitterimage.com/. Provides free and custom Twitter background interviews.
• Twitter Patterns- http://twitterpatterns.com/. Provides free pattern backgrounds.
• Colour Lovers- http://www.colourlovers.com/. Provides thousands of pattern backgrounds that can be catered to a Twitter page.