Twitter is a great social networking tool which is used by businesses, freelancers and individuals. To get attention, you need to have a profile page which stands out above the others. You need to brand yourself and deliberately create the image that you wish to portray. Here are ten tips about establishing your branding on your Twitter profile page.

1. Start With the Name

Your Twitter handle is what brings you closer to the other people on the network. The more that you speak, the more that your name is associated with good information. A name like @mrfuntimes1999 is not going to be taken as seriously as @joesmith.

2. Be Simple

Simplicity is the most effective way to gain visitors from your Twitter profile. It should not feel like a giant advertisement, it should feel like a genuine attempt to connect with others within your field. Over thought and pretentious profiles do not win followers.

3. Your Bio is Important

You have 160 characters to make a great first impression. Say who you are and what you love doing. Make your readers want to read more about you. Do not be overly forthright and call yourself the master of tweeting or the guru of Google. Honesty and humility work well for great introductions.

4. Your Picture

Your profile picture needs to have a smiling person. The picture itself needs to be the most professional that you have, one which is flattering. If you are having many people from your company use Twitter, make sure that the pictures are consistent across the board. Give them all a corporate background.

5. Custom Background

You want to set yourself or your company apart. One of the first things you need to do is design (or have someone else design) a Twitter background. You can have pictures of your entire team. You can have small advertisements on either side. You can have geometric shapes. That is your choice, as long as you have something that is unlike others.

6. Colors

It is important to choose colors for your text and text background. You need to have something which is color coordinated with the rest of the items on your profile page. If you are fond of orange and blue, make sure that your colors are consistent throughout.

7. Link It

You may manage a lot of web sites. Choose the ones that you believe will be the most representative of your style and place the links within your profile. If your readers do click on those website links, give them a personal landing page which eases them from Twitter to your site.

8. Location

Be clear about where you are from and make it consistent with the other social networking sites. Saying that you are from ‘everywhere’ or ‘nowhere’ does not portray a professional image.

9. Don’t Change

Stay consistent with your message and pictures. You are developing a brand and want to make sure that you are identifiable and unique. Once you have your great picture, don’t change it.

10. Make Your Updates Available to Everyone

Your tweets and updates should be available to the world. You are using Twitter as both a marketing and networking device. You want viewers to follow your tweets. Don’t protect the updates because you never know whose attention you will capture.

Your Twitter profile page needs to be a great representation of who you are and for what you believe. Others are watching you, and people are more likely to take you and your company more seriously when you have a complete profile page.

When he’s not networking on Twitter, James Adams is a full time writer and blogger for an online ink supplies store where he analyses and reviews new hardware such as the HP 364XL.