From The Crow’s Nest

This is the second post in a new series designed to help you set up and fine tune your Twitter account. It’s geared for business people who use Twitter either for a company or as a professional networking tool. Most of the information also applies to the person using Twitter just for fun.

Give your Twitter visitors a great place to land in your online presence.

Your Twitter profile gives you the opportunity to link to a web destination that provides more information about you and your business. There are several ways you can use this link to enhance your profile and give potential followers the information they need to know about you and your business.

Your Web Presence

Twitter is a great tool for engaging people online. However, just having a Twitter account isn’t enough of an online presence.  If you are using Twitter for business, you should already have an online presence. You might have a blog or a website (or both) where you engage your customers or clients. If you don’t have an online presence, you should get one immediately.

Many companies are using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to create a business presence. Depending on your industry and your technical skills, you may choose to use a social networking site in addition to a website and blog, or create them instead of these traditional online components. You must decide what is best for your business.

Web Link Options

There are several options for adding a more information link to your Twitter account.

• Company website. If you tweet on behalf of your business, you might want to link to your company website. Or if you use Twitter to drive traffic to your website, this might  be a smart option.
• Your blog. Your blog provides a personal look into your online presence that gives people the chance to see your personality and evaluate the types of things you could contribute to the Twitter conversation. You could link to the front page of your blog, or to a special About page that provides more personal information.
  
• Twitter landing page. You can provide access to a special page designed for Twitter users to learn more about you, your company, and your Twitter use. You can create your Twitter landing page within your company website or blog. For more information about the types of information you can include on a Twitter landing page, see Twitter Landing Pages.
• A social networking site. If you don’t have a website or a blog, but you have a business page or personal profile on a social networking site like Facebook or MySpace, or a business networking site like Biznik, you could link directly to that site. This would make it easy for people from Twitter to link up with you on the social networking site, also.
• Your resume. If you use Twitter for professional networking, you might choose to link to your resume on a site like LinkedIn. This would allow a large number of people to see your resume, which would be especially helpful if you are actively looking for a job.

Deciding Factors

Consider these factors when you decide which web option to use for your Twitter account:

• A Twitter landing page is usually the best option for the web link because it allows you to provide customized information for Twitter users. On this page, you can provide links to other important information within your website or blog. However, you must be able to update this page easily so it stays current.
• A blog provides Twitter users with access to the latest information from your company. This is a good option if you have ongoing news about your products and services you want to provide to your Twitter visitors. However, your blog may not include all of the basic information about your company that appears on your website.
• A company website generally provides the basic information about your company. However, a website usually isn’t updated as frequently as a blog, so it may not have the latest information. A website also doesn’t give potential Twitter followers a good idea of your writing style or personality, things that can influence their decision to follow you.
• A social networking site may give your Twitter visitors the idea that your company isn’t serious or legitimate, depending on your industry and how well you execute your social networking presence.

If you have both a company blog and and a website, you must decide which one gives potential followers the best information about you and your company. If you decide to use either your website or blog for your web link, you may have to make small changes to make them a better fit for your Twitter visitors. For example, if you decide to use your blog but it doesn’t include basic information about your business, you might consider updating your blog to include this information in a prominent location.

What Should You Do?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for selecting your Twitter profile web link. There are many options, each with advantages and disadvantages. Consider your business, your industry, and your Twitter goals when you decide this important profile element.

Your turn: Do you use one of these options for your Twitter profile web link, or did you come up with another idea? Have you changed your web link? Share your stories and insights here in the comments to this post.

Related Posts:

• Twitter For Beginners
• Twitter Setup: A Rose By Any Other Name
• Twitter Landing Pages