By now, every business marketer is aware of the importance of using social media to promote their brand.  The challenge for many, though, is how to successfully maximize each platform. When it comes to Twitter, in order to grow your business, you need to attract and engage quality followers. Optimizing your Twitter profile will help you do just that.

Below are tips on how to get the most out of your Twitter profile.

Upload header and profile images

Nowadays, I think everyone can agree that we are a visual culture. Your profile picture and cover photo are the 2 key visual elements that Twitter offers. It goes without saying that you want to have a great profile pic, being that it is the face of your business.  Your logo in high resolution would be fitting as a profile pic.  Your cover photo, on the other hand, should get special attention since there are more options with what you can do with it. An image may seem appropriate here, but you can also use it as a space to promote a new product, announce upcoming events or put on blast a hashtag you are trying to generate buzz for. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure you are taking advantage of the space in the best way possible.

Be strategic with your profile information

Your twitter handle is the next step in getting your account set up properly. You have 15 characters at your disposal and your business name is typically what would go here.  If it is too long, the most identifiable part should be used. You do want to stay away from using numbers, underscores or keywords in your handle.

When it comes to your bio, you have up to 160 characters to use to your advantage.  You want to stick to very relevant keywords and hashtags.  This is what will show up in the search engines and help boost visits to your profile.

As you are compiling hashtags to use, remember that they are clickable and could end up distracting from your bio. If you are using an industry related hashtag, you want to make sure if someone does click through, they are not being directed to a competitor.  Your best bet is to stick with branded hashtags.

Post more images

When it comes to Twitter, in order to really boost your reach, you need to tweet more images. They tend to get retweeted up to 30% more than a tweet that has text alone.

Pin a tweet

Pinning tweets is one of the most effective tools to use within your twitter profile. Any tweet you have sent out can be pinned and it will show up at the top of your profile. It will remain there until you unpin it. A smart thing to consider is using a CTA (call to action) and a shortened link to the product or service you are presently focused on. If it can fit, also consider adding a popular hashtag, but only if it is relevant.  Here are some ideas to consider for a pinned tweet:

• A recent top performing tweet
• A time sensitive campaign
• A great image or photo
• Any promotions
• A link to a resource or blog post created by you

Link your periscope profile

As with linking Facebook and Instagram, it is also a great idea to link Twitter and Periscope. If you are not familiar with Periscope, it allows you to share live-stream video and communicate with followers in real time. By connecting the two, you will garner more buzz and attract more targeted followers.

Open up Your Twitter DM

In an effort to make your brand appear more approachable and accessible on Twitter, remove the privacy setting from the direct messages feature.  To do this, find the privacy and security tab located under the settings page.  Go to the direct message option and select the “receive direct messages from anyone”.