Author Archives: Betsy Kent

Business Blog Success - Case Study

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At Be Visible, we use many different tactics to help our clients reach their goals. For many of the small businesses we serve, one of the biggest struggles is how to drive traffic to their website without investing thousands of dollars in advertising. While we believe very strongly in Search Engine marketing, for some types of clients we recommend other options. We’ve discovered that the key to business blog success for some of our clients is a mixture of personal and professional content.

Take the case of Dr. Michael Sinkin. For Dr. Sinkin, a dentist and a sole practitioner in New York City, the need to drive visitors to his website was a challenge. For a New York City dentist to advertise and compete effectively on Google a very large monthly investment is required, one the doctor was not keen on spending. For Dr. Sinkin, who didn’t even have a website until 2010, we decided instead to use a business blog strategy to help him become visible and drive visitors to his new website, and in addition to let prospective patients discover that he is not only a great dentist, he’s also a very warm and funny guy. It’s a slower proces than Google advertising, but can be very effective over the long term, as we shall see.

“What in the world am I going to write about?” was the first thing out of his mouth when we presented Dr. Sinkin with our idea. Well, he has since figured it out and has become a prolific blogger. He blogs about his life, his staff, his long-time patients (with their permission), and even his dog. Those personal stories help potential patients find out who he really is, and his current patients just really enjoy receiving a nice story from him.

But here’s the key: in between Dr. Sinkin’s personal blogs we intersperse blogs about dentistry. Sounds boring, right? Not really! Our team constantly researches to discover the questions that people are actually asking about dentistry on the web and creates blog content around those questions. The doctor then adds his two cents then we publish and share the blogs.

Some of the blogs on Dr. Sinkin’s site are driving a remarkable amount of visits to the website. Here are three examples:

The Results

Of course all of this effort is in vain if it doesn’t provide results. Dr. Sinkin attributes 50% of his new patients to his website since we implemented the blogging program. In this case, the benefits of blogging are many, but the two most important are:

  • Blogging improves overall rankings in Google, and helps more people find the site.
  • Blogging shows that Dr. Sinkin cares about people and is willing to share his knowledge.

If you can’t figure out what to write about on your business blog, think about the questions that your customers and clients (or patients) ask you on a regular basis. Start there. Or call us!

Check out Dr. Sinkin’s blog, “The Dental and The Incidental” here.

For more about business blogging, click here.

5 Things To Consider Before Building a Mobile Website

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2013 is the year when use of the Internet on mobile devices surpasses that of desktops and laptops. We are hurriedly getting our clients up to speed by creating mobile versions of their websites. Since only 20% of business websites are optimized for mobile, we know that this will help our clients stay ahead of their competitors.

Consequently we have become experts on best practices when building mobile websites for smartphone users. Here are some of the things we consider:

5 Things We Consider Before Building a Mobile Website

1) Satisfy the Needs of People Who are On-The-Go 

Smartphone users are in a hurry. They don’t have the patience to read a lot of content. Well-designed mobile websites provide “thumb-friendly” information, such as click-to-call & click-for-direction buttons. We don’t believe that simply scraping the content from a desktop website and reformatting it for the small screen will provide users with the experience they need while on the go.

2) It Must Load Fast!

60% of web users say they expect a website to load on their mobile phone in 3 seconds or less (Gomez) before leaving and going elsewhere.

We are wary of using too many images or images that are large (1500 pixels+) because it will take time to compress the images to mobile-friendly size. Also, we try to use only high-resolution photos, as they will format to a variety of screen sizes depending on what smartphone a given customer is using.

3) Which Pages Should Be On a Mobile Website?

There’s an easy way to find out which pages are the best to make to use for the mobile website. We often use Google Analytics to determine what pages mobile users are already accessing the most. Since mobile customers already want this information, we make it faster and easier to get it.

4) Mobile Call-To-Actions: Local & Useful

Mobile users will react to Click-To-Call and Click-To-Email buttons. Instead of listing the address, on mobile, we utilize a Click-For-Directions button that opens a map. Mobile users are grateful for this quick and easy information right at their fingertips.

5) Think User Experience

In 2013 and beyond, mobile may be the first point of communication people have with a business or brand. Their experience should be extraordinary whatever device they are using.

The mobile user is a new type of customer, how can you tailor your business to fit these  changing needs? To help you get to the top of the heap, here are 10 more facts about         mobile to prepare you for The Mobile Revolution.

Wherever You Are, However You Engage - One Seamless Experience

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This is a guest post by our dear friend and colleague Caroline Di Diego, known to most of us as CASUDI. She is a brilliant film producer and has been involved in web design since 1997.

It’s Not About Being on the Same Page; It’s About Being on the Same Screen!

Have you ever thought about how different your intentions are when digesting information on an HDTV screen at a trade show, versus on your smartphone on the go?

Do you still use a desktop or laptop, or are you now tethered to a pad or tablet, or only a smartphone?

As a designer or marketer if you don’t consider HOW, WHERE and WHEN your information is consumed on your audiences’ devices, you may not really be reaching your audience and customers! You maybe invisible!

It’s not just about installing those responsive web templates (as many still hope) which re-orients/rearranges content for your screen. It’s more about understanding user expectations when focusing on any specific device That’s equally true for smartphone, tablet or big screen.

In particular, the mobile mindset is driven by constant interface with our mobile devices; they’re with us everywhere, all the time. We often use them while doing something else; cooking, watching TV, sports, exercise…. sometimes difficult viewing conditions, usually distractions.

We all have different behaviors and priorities while using our mobile devices. They’ve given us a whole new sense of freedom and control, and we’re using it!

Mobile devices have fundamentally changed user expectations. It’s therefore extremely important that we, as designers, follow a user-centered design process to arrive at our solutions.

Screen size and bandwidth considerations dictate designs optimized for loading time and reduced data requirements. We need the content structures to be simpler and smaller.

Content/context has to be quick to access and use. It has to relate easily to what we want and need now. It has to have precisely the context that will instantly “gratify” us.

On larger screens we have higher resolution and more available screen real estate. We expect to see more content and more functionality on larger screens. We decide to focus, which allows for a more complex on-screen scenario in trade show or corporate presentations, or entertainment viewing.

As content designers/producers, we must consider not only how layout, aesthetics, proportions, and controls are applied to the larger canvas for navigation, but commands or points of interactivity need to be placed predictably and intuitively. The interactivity ingredient, which has ramped up in recent years (games), is now gaining major momentum for all messaging.

WHY, WHAT, and HOW does the viewer want to interact? Beyond scrolling, pinching and tapping, new generations of UI products such as leap motion and prime sense are enabling screen control with gestures or signals. A whole other set of challenges/opportunities for designers and users, not limited to one screen!

A seamless message wherever you are engaging.

As marketers we analyze and understand the different intent & behaviors of our customers, and as designers it allows us to work better with our developers to configure the most comprehensive and effective user experience for your customers. This includes not only interactively with your screen, but also between the screens themselves! (more on that another time)

Companies need to focus on providing a seamless message and experience to customers. If the customer engages via mobile, focus on the mobile experience.

If customers engage across all three screens; consistent design, adaptive and responsive layouts are needed; which dynamically change and adapt to different screen sizes, and the right amount of content to fill the space according to the rules of the layout, size of the screen, and the technology involved. All this effort has no value unless intent and behavior is analyzed and understood beforehand in order to communicate the appropriate message, wherever the customers engage!

Today: “same screen” trumps “same page”.

By Caroline Di Diego (CASUDI)
ONE3Screen
ONE3Screen are experienced producers of films for movie screens, multi media corporate presentations for tradeshows & corporate meetings, and video for television; we long ago jumped into web design (1997) We’ve been adapting to ever-changing screens and UI’s for years, and mobile is the latest iteration. Multiple screens rule!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mobile Revolution - Mobile Websites - Explained

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The Mobile Revolution.

We’ve been anticipating it for years and now it’s officially here. Smartphone usage is up by 50% just since 2011. 90% of us have our phone within reach 24/7. And in 2013 mobile phones will surpass PCs as the primary means of accessing the Internet.

So, if you haven’t begun thinking about how your website looks and works on a smartphone, perhaps now’s the time. But it’s important to understand that it’s not as easy to create a successful mobile website as some may think. Mobile users are in a different mindset than people sitting at PCs. They are in “action mode.” They have less patience but are more motivated to take action. That means that mobile websites have to deliver information fast and seamlessly.

Merely scraping the content off your desktop site, putting it on a mobile platform and calling it a day is just not going to work.

At Be Visible, we are firmly invested in using “Best Practices” when building custom mobile websites for our clients. We follow a process that enables us to create sites that are designed to convert, whether the desired action is a call, an email, or a reservation. And practically any customization our clients need, we can accommodate. Our mobile websites look great and work perfectly on all 5,200 types of Internet-enabled mobile phones that are out there.

Here are a few of our recent launches. Check them out on your smartphone!:

www.douglasmoyerarchitect.com

www.spinaldoctor.com

www.drnancyrosen.com

www.suzyb.com

Let us know if you would like to discuss mobilizing your website for 2013. Only 20% of business websites are mobile ready. And that means opportunity for you!

The Mobile Web: 10 Incredible Facts That You Probably Didn’t Know

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The latest big disruptor in our digital world is going to be (and already is) the staggeringly rapid increase in the use of mobile devices. For everyone involved in marketing, this is something that we have to educate our clients and ourselves about. Because more than anything else right now, this shift affects every business’s most valuable digital asset…their website.

How fast is this happening and how pervasive is it? There are a lot of eye-opening statistics that I want to share. Here are some of them:

There are 4 times as many smartphone owners as computer owners in the U.S. today.

  • Apple sold 48 million mobile devices in 2011; they sold 4.9 million desktops and laptops during the same period.
  • 48% of U.S. mobile subscribers use a smartphone.
  • Smartphone usage grew by 50% from 2011 to 2012.
  • 91% percent of Americans have their mobile device within reach 24/7
  • In 2013, mobile phones will surpass PCs as the primary means of accessing the Internet..
  • 1 in 7 Internet searches are performed on a mobile phone.
  • 16.9% of Black Friday 2012 online shopping was done on a mobile device.
  • 94% of smartphone users look for local information on their phone and 90% take action a result, such as making a purchase or contacting the business.
  • Only 20% of businesses have invested in a mobile website.

Now do this: get your phone; open your browser; go to your website.
‘Nuf said.

To find out about how Be Visible Mobile can help you get your website mobilized quickly and affordably, click here

Note: In the original version of this blog, we stated the 24% of Black Friday 2012 online shopping was done on a mobile device. This number was overstated at 24%; the real number is 16.9%. But 24% of US consumers opted to visit a retailer’s website using their mobile device on Black Friday 2012. see: http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/24/ibm-black-friday-data/

Research from:
http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/insights/featured/our-mobile-planet-2012/
http://gigaom.com/mobile/uh-oh-pc-half-of-computing-device-sales-are-mobile/ http://www.businessinsider.com/mary-meeker-2012-internet-trends-year-end-update-2012-12?op=1
http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats

If you are viewing this website on your smartphone, you will see that it is not yet optimized for mobile. We are launching our mobile site this week!

Should You Hire An Outside Social Media Agency?

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Ever since brands and businesses began to embrace Social Media there has been a lot of discussion around whether it is more effective to build an in-house team or to outsource Social Media services. As a seasoned Advertising and Marketing executive, our friend Diane Epstein has worked at big agencies and small ones -  most recently at Big Fuel, an agency dedicated to providing Social Media strategy and management to big brands.

Diane has a unique perspective, as she has always been inspired by finding nontraditional solutions for traditional marketing challenges. I sat down with her to discuss outsourcing Social Media services. Her insights are here:

You worked at a Social Media agency for a few years. What kinds of clients did you concentrate on?

Diane: I worked on a variety of clients with a focus on large, global clients (Philips, Gore-Tex) looking to organize and streamline their global Social Media footprint and national clients (T-Mobile) looking to grow and improve the efficacy of their Social Media channels.

What advantages do you see for businesses and brands to outsource Social Media marketing?

Diane: Since Social Media is still relatively new, most companies aren’t yet equipped with the resources or skill sets to manage their Social Media Marketing in-house. This will undoubtedly change as the field matures. Also, because Social Media touches every aspect of marketing from PR to advertising to customer service to crisis management, it’s often helpful to have an objective 3rd party manage the activity across various internal divisions. This minimizes fiefdoms and politics.

What we some of the most important lessons you learned while you were there?

Diane: I learned several lessons, but especially these two:

1. Unless Social Media is designated a priority from the top down (by the CEO, ideally) it will continue to languish as a “nice-to-have” but not essential discipline, delegated to the most junior people in the organization. The companies that have been most successful in Social Media have prioritized Social Media as a way to gain competitive advantage.

2. The size of your Social Media following, although easiest to measure, is not the most important statistic. Don’t forget about user sentiment and user engagement.

What advice would you give to a company who is making the decision about whether to build their own team in-house or to hire an outside Social Media agency?

Diane: I would recommend that they start with an outside agency to develop a framework and establish best practices. As the company becomes more confident in the space, they should then consider bringing some aspects of the work, like community management, in-house. (At the risk of sounding self-serving, I think there is always a role for an independent, objective specialist agency in the mix!)

What are you working on now?

Diane: I am currently Partner and CMO at an Internet startup called Tunespotter which will launch early next year.

Connect with Diane on Twitter at @dianeepstein and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/dianeepstein1 

 

5 Reasons All Business Owners Must Speak or Not Be Heard

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We are happy to introduce you to Phil Gerbyshak: Social Media, branding, and business coach, chief connections officer, master public speaker, published author, blogger extrordinaire, and so much more! His guest blog for Be Visible provides 5 highly accessible and critical reasons why as a business owner it’s a great idea to embrace public speaking to supercharge your business growth.

Phil GerbyshakOne of my best sources of leads for my business is one that scares the heck out of a lot of people: I get in front of groups and give presentations about what I do for a living. And I strongly recommend you do it too, even if you don’t ever want to get paid for the speech itself. In fact, there are 5 critical reasons speaking is something you MUST do if you want your business to be successful.

5 Reasons You Must Speak

Be seen as an expert - If you’re in front of the room, clearly you are WAY smarter than everyone else there - or at least that’s the perception many people have of speakers. Even if it’s a group of your peers, typically speakers have some compelling reason why they were asked to speak to the group, so everyone is tuned in to the speaker, provided the speaker isn’t just reading off of his slides. Don’t you want to be seen as THE GUY (or gal) who is the expert in whatever you’re talking about?

1) Offline networking - Think about any event you’ve been to where there’s been a speaker. Who is the first person everyone wants to talk to? Besides the person with the drink tickets, it’s almost always the speaker. Instead of you having to go find people who are interested in what you have to say, as the speaker, people come up to you and ask you questions. These questions are almost always related to your speech, and they are questions your business has the solutions for. What better way to understand the pain points of someone’s business than to have them come up to you and tell you all about it.

2) Even if audience members decide not to work with you, they will remember you - and introduce you to more people, making your networking so much easier. “John, meet Phil. He spoke at our kickoff breakfast this week. John is the VP of Sales for ABC Industries, and they REALLY need what you do.” Isn’t that better than a cold call?

3) Content creation for my website and email newsletter - About those questions people ask me when I’m done speaking. Those are perfect topics for my blog articles - and for videos and everything else I do. You don’t have to say who asked you the question - just mention an audience member from a recent talk you gave had a question - and then answer it in an article or a short video.

4) Speaking Gives You Confidence and Clarity - The more you speak in front of groups, the more comfortable you are speaking to groups, which leads to increased confidence in your topic - and increased clarity around the message you share with those you wish to do business with. When I started speaking to groups, I thought I was pretty clear about what I said I did, but I got a lot of questions about it, and I realized I was perfectly clear - to me. Nobody else got it - so I worked on what I say, and now, I am confident AND clear about my value proposition. Don’t you want to be more clear and confident in what you say about your business so people understand and believe what you’re saying?

5) Deeper understanding of my area of expertise - Along with confidence and clarity, I also gained a much deeper understanding of my area of expertise. I research my competition and the industry a great deal before I do a speech. I look for new trends, new stats, and new stories I can incorporate into my talk, especially ones that are relevant to the group I’m about to talk to. This gives me up to the minute insights my audience can rely on, and seldom do I get stumped with a question. And if I do get stumped, often there is someone in the audience who can help out, or I can write down the question and research the answer, to write up a blog post about it, and then email the answer to the person with the question. Following up is a really important, and often overlooked, skill for many. Isn’t this a much easier and welcome way to follow-up than a call to “check in to see how things are going” in someone’s business?

Whether you enjoy speaking or not, as a business owner, it is becoming more and more important that you get in front of audiences and share your message. It’ll help you with your business in these 5 ways, and likely many more.

YOUR TURN: In addition to these 5 ways for growing your business because you’re a speaker, what have you found has been the best result of your speaking in front of groups? If you haven’t spoken to groups before, what’s holding you back?

About the Author: Phil Gerbyshak works with business owners so they can stop shouting into the void of social media and make real connections to retain customers and recruit new business. Visit him at http://philgerbyshak.com or connect with him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/philgerb.

Want to know the naked truth of social media, as told by a group of smart folks? Get a free ebook featuring Brian Clark, Jason Falls, Erika Napoletano, Chris Reimer and Phil Gerbyshak at http://socialmedianakedtruth.com

Hashtags – The Do’s and Dont’s

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#HashtagsAreEverywhere. You may have even noticed that many TV commercials are now showing hashtags (like #OldNavy) and networks themselves are now embedding hashtags (i.e. #NBC) right into their normal programming – but to what end?

Hashtags are being used on many Social Networks; but on Twitter, where they originated, hashtags are used to build a community of conversations around a subject.  For example, here are tweets about Apple’s recent event wherein Apple unveiled the iPad Mini:

As a business you can become a part of conversations on Twitter by incorporating hashtags into your communications and following hashtags that that are relevant to your business. You can find heaps of useful information that other people are sharing.

But first, let’s get started with some hashtag basics:

Hashtags 101 – Do’s and Don’ts

1) DON’T use all lower case type:


2) DON’T add a hashtag to every word in your tweet:


Moreover, hashtags appear as a different color on Twitter so this tactic will make every word of your message look like a link, which people will attempt to click on – this causes confusion, not engagement.

3) DON’T make up your own hashtags that people won’t understand without insider information or the proper context:


DO make up your own hashtags that are relevant to your business, industry, and target audience:

4) DO Use Hashtags to monitor topics important to your business. Some excellent examples include #BizChat – short for Business Chat, #SMB or #smallbiz - for Small Business, and #SMM for Social Media Marketing.

Every time a hashtag is used in a tweet it is indexed by Twitter, meaning you can monitor topics in real-time by performing a Twitter search. Here’s a Twitter search for #Smallbiz


As you can see, in 3 minutes there was a stream of tweets with the #Smallbiz hashtag; from small business surveys, to an infographic about foreign owned small businesses, to advice on how small businesses can better use Google AdWords for their SEO strategies. Perhaps one of these tweets would prove useful to your own business.

5) DON’T use popular hashtags that don’t make sense for your business.


Twitter users will catch on that this tactic is an attempt to grab fans and eyeballs and will ultimately alienate your audience, as opposed to inviting them into your business or brand. Not to mention, the tweet has nothing to do with the associated hashtags.

DO – use popular hashtags (called trending topics) that make sense for you business or brand. For instance, imagine it is Tuesday night and the popular TV show The Voice (#TheVoice) is on and Twitter users are tweeting and following comments on the show by utilizing the hashtag. For this example your business is a popcorn manufacturer and you want to reach this audience and demographic. Hijacking the trending topic will look like this:

6) DO    Keep your hashtags short and sweet. Tweets are only 140 characters or approximately 15-20 words.

Don’t do this:


Instead, do this:

Keep in mind: the number of characters in a tweet is prime real estate, and the shorter the tweet the better. Make sure other users can retweet your message, including RT @YourTwitterName in the remaining characters of the tweet. For example:


There’s still plenty of room for your followers to retweet you, add a comment, or even have their followers retweet your original tweet!

We recognize we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of hashtags so be sure to stay tuned for later blogs where we further address: hashtag research, how to best utilize trending topics, using hashtags to market your event, and much more!

Be Visible is on Twitter: @BeVisibleAssoc, @BeVisible, @Kevslams

Social Media for Business Owners

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An Interview with Elizabeth Beskin of 5th Avenue Digital

Social Media marketing can sometimes be a dilemma. How much time and energy should be invested? It is an ongoing question especially for businesses that have flourished and grown without Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Many of our clients at Be Visible fit into just that profile. Meeting for the first time with decision makers I often hear these kinds of comments:

  • “I don’t use Facebook personally, and I have no idea how it could benefit my business.”
  • “We have never needed to market, all our business comes from referrals.”
  • “Our competitors don’t use Social Media, so why should we?”
  • “We are growing, so why should we invest in Internet marketing?”
  • “I’m really stupid when it comes to Social Media”

It’s very understandable to me how Social Media could be a topic that many would like to avoid, for all the reasons stated above. But if you are someone who makes decisions about the future of your business, try to think of Social Media as a way to touch your target market in ways that were never available before. Once you do that, it begins to make sense.

Elizabeth Beskin is one such decision maker. As the president and CEO of 5th Avenue Digital, a successful corporate and special event photography agency, Elizabeth saw the value of using Social Media very early on. She and her staff have fully embraced blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and and now Pinterest. With a modest investment of time they have achieved visibility for the company that would never have been possible before. And, most important, the efforts are affecting the bottom line: 5th Avenue Digital has never been busier.

I sat down with Elizabeth recently to find out how she does it so well and what other businesses could learn from her tactics:

BK: How do you use Social Media in your business? 

EB: I use Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to connect and build relationships with the people that recommend my services, especially event and wedding planners. They look to us to find out what we are doing next - and I mix-in relative industry information along with our own posts. Social Media for me is like networking in my pajamas (yes I actually do it in bed!) so I stay connected daily.

BK: Do you think it has helped your business, and why? 

EB: Our colleagues follow us watch what we do on Social Media. They bring it up when I see them in person and what’s really satisfying is when they ask about a new product or service that we have launched, shared on Social Media, and then they contract with us to use it!

BK: What do you do on a daily basis/weekly basis?
EB: We try to follow a plan as closely as possible. Pre-scheduling blogs and Facebook updates really helps. The most important thing is to make sure that 5th Avenue Digital’s marketing is at the top of the list and doesn’t get pushed down as we get more client work. I would say planning is the most crucial part of what makes our marketing successful.

  • Daily - Facebook postings and Twitter
  • Weekly - Pinterest postings
  • Bi-weekly - Blogs about our recent events and what our team is doing

BK: Which Social Media platform works best for you, and why? 

EB: Facebook lets us connect to the important people who follow us. We have worked very hard to build a community around us of people who can recommend our services. Facebook enables us to keep them up-to-date about what 5th Avenue Digital is doing in a way that they see value for their clients. And it is a nice way to touch base without filling up their email boxes.
BK: Can you give me an example where it has worked and what the results were?

EB: Sure, here’s a good one: I had no idea that a prominent event planner was following us on Facebook and was reading our blogs. She didn’t like, comment on, or share any of our content; so was not really considered a prospect for deeper engagement. But out of the blue she called and booked a job with us because she saw the video about our new Social Media Portal on Facebook. If I had used the old-fashioned cold calling technique to reach her, it would not have worked as effectively. Buyers want to buy, not to be sold to.

BK: Given your business is so visual, how are you using images in your Social Media tactics?

EB: Choosing an image for a “story” (blog, Facebook update, Pinterest pin) is one of the most important parts of our marketing. And it’s one of the most fun. We have so much to share. My philosophy is that our website is our brochure and our blog and Social Media shows our personality - and we want our personality to shine!

BK: What do you see in the future for your use of Social Media? Are you going to try anything new?

EB: There are always new platforms emerging in Social Media and it’s very tempting to try them all, but no one in business (unless there is a huge marketing department) can test every platform in a measurable way. I feel that we are going to increase our usage of Pinterest because it has totally changed wedding planning. We find it really effective to send our brides and grooms to our Pinterest boards to see how other wedding clients have used our YouBooth photo booth and other services we offer in wedding photography.

Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your story!

Elizabeth Beskin is truly a unique leader in her industry when it comes to Social Media. I am sure that many of her competitors are trying to catch up. At Be Visible we are very aware that many businesses would like to use Social Media as effectively; that’s why we have developed solutions to help use these new digital tools. We consistently publish easy tips on managing Social Media in-house on Facebook and our blog, we offer Social Media management services (blogging, community building, engagement, reporting), and we have workshops to teach and coach company staff.

To follow Elizabeth Beskin and 5th Avenue Digital:
Twitter: @ElizBeskin, @5thAveDigital
LinkedIn: Elizabeth, 5th Avenue Digital
Facebook
Pinterest

How to Update to the New Twitter Design in 4 Easy Steps

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In a surprise move a new Twitter design for all profile pages was just launched. It features a header image similar to Facebook’s Timeline cover photo. We highly recommend updating your profile to this new design for 3 reasons:

  1. To make sure all of your online profiles are consistent with your branding.
  2. To ensure that your Twitter profile page is as compelling as possible and will attract followers who will be interested in your content.
  3. Most Important - the new Twitter design is optimized for mobile devices!

Why is Mobile so important?

  • As of June 2012, Americans own 110 million smartphones.  That’s means that 1 out of every 3 American consumers are using the web on a phone (and that number does not include tablet computers such as the iPad).
  • By 2015, mobile web search will eclipse desktop web searches for the first time. This means that your customer’s primary way of interacting with your brand online will be through a mobile device. If you’ve looked at your website on a smartphone or tablet recently you may have realized it’s time to create a mobile website for optimum online visibility (see Why Your Business Needs A Mobile Website).

Here’s how most Twitter profile pages appear right now:

Here’s what an updated Twitter profile page looks like:



Here’s what the new Twitter design looks like on a mobile device:

Here’s how to update your Twitter profile in 4 easy steps:

1) Log in to Twitter. (You’ll notice the new “Me” tab). Click on the gear icon on the top right, and then scroll down to “Settings.”



2) Once in “Settings” click on “Design” to see the following screen:

3) Scroll down to where it says “Customize Your Own.” You will see a new option for “Header.” Next to “Header” it says the recommended photo dimensions are 1200 pixels by 600 pixels. Images smaller than 600 pixels in height appear distorted and stretched so we recommend you use an image as close to the suggested dimensions as possible.

4) Click “Change Header” and upload your chosen image. Here are some tips:

  • The photo you choose should be consistent with your online branding.
  • Dark colors towards the bottom of the image work better since your Twitter description will appear in white text, and your Twitter profile picture will appear in the center towards the top.
  • Use the bar underneath the image to increase or decrease the size of the image:

Click “Save” and that’s it! If you’re happy with how your picture appears on your profile, you’re all set.

Don’t have the time to update the new Twitter design yourself? Be Visible will take care of it for you and do a great job. (Special rate through 10/15/12@) Interested? Contact Us.

Sources for this article:
http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-by-country/17-usa/855-mobile-devices
http://gigaom.com/2010/04/12/mary-meeker-mobile-internet-will-soon-overtake-fixed-internet/

 

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