Twitter Prepares to Launch Brand Pages for Business

Twitter has announced a major overhaul to their social networking platform this week. One of the most important additions for businesses will be the ability to create a "Brand Page."

Twitter brand pages are similar to the Facebook and LinkedIn business pages most of us are already accustomed to. Twitter adds yet another avenue to market your business using a popular social network. The benefit of brand pages for Twitter is that it keeps users on their site longer, while at the same time giving us yet another chance to plug our businesses for free.

What's in A Brand Page?

The primary difference between a standard Twitter page and a brand page will be the top portion of the brand profile. Here, businesses will be able to customize an enlarged header with company logos, taglines, and promotional material. 

Brand page administrators can also select a "promoted tweet" to always be the first message shown on the page. Photos and videos that accompany the promoted tweet will also be enlarged on the page to give it a more professional feel.

When Can I Start?

Unfortunately, like the rest of the new Twitter rollout, the company is taking its time getting all these new features to every user.

As far as brand pages are concerned, Twitter is currently limiting access to a select group of large corporations such as American Express, Dell, and McDonalds. But fear not, small business owners! Twitter is promising "a broader rollout coming shortly."

So even though we small business owners have to wait a bit to build our brand pages, we should use this time to get those creative juices flowing.  My advice is to take some time getting to know the unique features of the new Twitter, look at what the big companies are doing, and come up with a unique brand page that piques the interest of your targeted customers.