From small start up companies to large corporations, every modern business needs to have a presence on Facebook andTwitter. Typically the first thing that users look at when they come across a new Twitter account is the profile. This initial impression can make or break the experience that they have with your company. It may not seem like a professional avatar or a detailed bio will pull in new customers, but all of these aspects count.

Purpose

The first thing that you must determine is your purpose for Twitter. What are your goals for your Twitter account? For example, maybe you're using Twitter to further customer relationships or maybe you're using Twitter to generate leads for your newest products. Once you have determined your purpose, you should identify your target audience. If you use other social media platforms, you may already have narrowed down the target audience. If not, it's never too late to start.

Type of content

The purpose for Twitter will largely dictate the type of content that you tweet. For example, if you're a fashion brand striving to build interest in your new products, you may tweet a lot of pictures of said products. If you're working on building relationships with customers, it may be appropriate to ask questions frequently to start conversations.

Creating an account

With your purpose, target audience, and ideas for content on hand, you're ready to create and optimize your Twitter profile. It is free to create a Twitter account. The process is simple and straightforward. Whenever possible, you should use the same handle that you use for your social media accounts. The handle must be 15 characters or less, should be something that makes sense, and whenever possible, should be easy to find via Twitter searches and search engines. Now that you have your new account, you need an avatar, cover image, and bio.

Avatar and cover image

Most companies opt to use their logos for their avatars. You must create a 400 x 400 pixels image file for the avatar. Some organizations would rather use a more creative graphic or a photograph for the avatar and then include the logo somewhere in the larger 1,500 x 500 pixels cover image. Both components should be professional with high quality, properly formatted images and should be representative of your specific company.

Bio

Your bio must be descriptive to let potential followers know who you are and why they should follow you. If you're struggled to make your handle a searchable term that is also your company name, your bio may help. Using the company name as a handle and then including searchable terms in your bio will still help users find you through Twitter searches and search engines.
Your Twitter bio must be 160 characters or less. This doesn't give you a lot of space to define your company. The more concise the message, the better. Look for opportunities to include hashtags for relevant keywords. For example, using #sustainable and #furniture in an eco-friendly furniture company bio will boost exact search results.
Finally, don't forget to include a location and a link. If a specific location (i.e. Chicago, IL) isn't applicable for your business, select a geographical location (i.e. the Pacific Northwest) instead. Even the best bios won't explain everything that interested parties need to know about your company. A link gives them an additional resource.

If you're in need of more direction for any aspect of your Twitter profile, learn from the best. Study brands with large Twitter followings and pay attention to what works well with their profiles.