We've had several months to tinker with the latest version of Twitter so I'd like to discuss why this latest version is important for your business to be using. I still think every business owner needs to do some due diligence before jumping into the Twittersphere, but this version of Twitter is a total redesign and offers a greatly simplified experience for brands and consumers. When Twitter launched the newest version they used the tagline “Let's Fly” and showed us the five new tabs they designed for our use, “Home,” “Connect,” “Discover,” “Me” and “Tweet.” Each of the new tabs take the user to a separate page where one may engage in the features found under that tab.
Home
The new design resulted in a Home page that is now consistent in multiple formats. What you see at twitter.com is what you see on your smartphones and tablets. Twitter's new intuitive layout allows users to find their stream, trends, and recommended people all on the Home page.
Connect
This is where you see who's talking about you and who's interacting with you and your tweets. You can view “Interactions” and “Mentions” on this tab enabling you to see conversations and retweets, who's following you, who liked your tweets, who added you to a list and other activities relating to you, including mentions.
Discover
Twitter describes this tab as “Simplicity meets serendipity.” Describing “Discover” Twitter says, “Discover lets you tap into a stream of useful and entertaining information, customized just for you. When you use Discover, you’ll see results reflecting your interests—based on your current location, what you follow and what’s happening in the world. As you use Twitter more, Discover gets even better at serving up more content just for you. Whatever you’re curious about, Discover will help you find out more.”
Your Business Page
Twitter's new brand pages encourage you to design Twitter experiences that keep you in Twitter instead of directing you to a website, Facebook page or YouTube channel. Twitter is describing these pages as “enhanced Profile Pages” that will “Let your brand take flight…” These enhanced profile pages let brands crate a more compelling destination on Twitter for their brands. Marketers may use a large header image for displaying a logo, tagline and other visuals. Brands may also control the message visitors see when they first come to your profile page by employing the use of a “Promoted Tweet.”
Take a look at how these brands are using their enhanced profile pages: @AmericanExpress, @BestBuy, @bing, @chevrolet, @CocaCola, Pepsi, @Dell, @DisneyPixar, @generalelectric, @Heineken, @HP, @intel, @JetBlue, @Kia, and @McDonalds.
Your business will be able to take advantage of all this in a variety of ways.
- Host a branded experience for your customers and clients right on Twitter instead of forcing them to your Facebook page or website.
- Use your specific brand style guides so your look is consistent across all networks.
- Focus your message to your customers and clients.
- Use the Promoted Tweet in the same way you use Facebook landing pages.
- Present your brand in a way that makes customers and clients want to follow you because of the way your page looks, as well as your content.
All of this rolls out to the masses in March. Some of Twitter's partners have taken advantage of an early release as we showed you above. Do you have access to the early release? Is your business going to take advantage of the enhanced profile pages when they become available?
