The new Twitter layout: 3 things brands need to know

This week, the new Twitter layout was rolled out to all users, so your brand should have it by now.  Some profiles have the option to wait to turn it on, so if you read through this list and realize you’re not ready for these changes to happen right this second, you can hold off (but we’re not sure for how long!).  Here are the 3 things you need to know to make the best of this makeover:

You no longer have a background image on your profile.

Many brands used the background image real estate to list other social media and web properties like their website, Facebook Page, or LinkedIn Company Page. Although you’ll still see your background image when browsing other pages within Twitter, it’s no longer visible to followers or visitors. You’ll need to move this information elsewhere.

You now have more space in other places.

The good news is that you now have a HUGE header image to work with—1500×500 pixels to be exact. You can move all of your background image info here, or use it for something fun that communicates your brand’s personality. You’ll also notice your profile picture grew to 400×400 pixels. If your previous header image and profile picture were specifically designed to fit the old specs, they’ll display pixelated and need to be resized.

You can take advantage of better Tweet management.

Your brand’s best tweets will appear in slightly larger text so they’re easier to find. The algorithm to determine what is best is based on engagement, so anything that received a lot of interaction will now be highlighted. You can use a pinned tweet to make sure an important message reaches everyone that visits your profile without constantly tweeting it again. Looking for something specific? Find it more easily with filtered tweets, where you can look specifically at regular Tweets, Tweets with media, or Tweets with replies.

One last new feature worth mentioning is the new navigation around Twitter via keyboard shortcuts. I wouldn’t consider this a “need to know” for brands, since a lot of people use Hootsuite or mobile, and really, they don’t save you much time over clicking… but it’s still kinda cool. Hit “g-d” (go discover) on your keyboard to instantly navigate to the Discover tab and test it out, or just hit “?” to pull up the full list if you think this is something you’d want to use.

Do you like Twitter’s new makeover? Will it improve the way you use Twitter for your brand? Tell us in the comments!