“Hi, do you want to be my friend?” Thousands of people ask each other this on Twitter every day by following someone. The first thing most people do when one of these requests shows up in their inbox is check out the profile of the person asking. Because unscrupulous marketers find a way to spam any electronic program available these days, and abuse the flow of information by sending unsolicited requests through automated programs, you need to take the time to check out their profile, rather than blindly following everyone who follows you first.

When a person begins to follow you on Twitter, try to get a feel for them. Who are they? Do you share common interests? Is there something there that could turn them into a client at some point? These are all good questions, but you must remember- they are asking the same thing about you when you follow them.

Your Twitter profile is a snapshot of who you are. It’s a quick 5-10 second glimpse into your world so someone can get to know you better. When you create an account with Twitter, you can chose from one of the pre-made backgrounds or you can use one of the many free Twitter-related tools to custom design your own. If you are really serious about branding yourself or your business on Twitter, and have a few bucks to spare, you can opt to have your Twitter profile custom made by a professional, just like a website.

Here are a few tips to think about when designing your Twitter profile.

• Keep it neat – Too many items on the page, just like a website, distract the viewer’s eyes from the content of the profile. Keep it simple and say what you need to say.

• Keep it consistent – Make sure your profile, and the wording in it, is directly in line with your brand, marketing campaign and other areas of your business you want to emphasize.

• Keep it short – Remember, you only have a few seconds to show off what you have before someone makes a decision whether or not they want to follow you back or follow you at all. Keep your point short and sweet.

• Keep it useful – What do you offer? How can they contact you? Where can they find samples? Make sure your Twitter profile is as useful as possible. People don’t like to hunt for information.

• Keep it interesting – Give your viewers a reason to talk to you. Ask them a question, make a controversial statement, do something small to get them into a conversation with you so you can determine their needs.

• Include links to your websites or even a freebie they could download.

Twitter is a useful tool for any business, but without a proper profile, the business has no identity. Make sure you take the necessary time to design a useful, branded and interesting profile so when you ask someone to be your friend; they don’t have to think twice. There are many other ways to pump up your Twitter profile, but if you follow the six steps above, you will be on a good path to developing a healthy brand.

Twitter profiles are a window into the life and business of each user. Without a proper and effective profile, jobs can be lost, money can be washed down the drain and clients can be swayed to another profile that provides more of what they are looking for. A Twitter profile is just like a marketing campaign for a company. A proper Twitter profile should effectively provide a snapshot of your brand.

Twitter is just another tool to implement your marketing strategy on the web. As such, the same branding rules apply to your Twitter profile. Your profile does not just include the wording on your Twitter account, but also the background on your Twitter page. There are applications you can use to develop free backgrounds for your Twitter account if you are on a budget, but in order to properly brand yourself, spend the extra money and develop a personal background the same way you would for a website. It will pay dividends in the end.

Here are a few tips to follow when creating your profile on Twitter to help develop your brand.

• Be Consistent – Keep your message steady. If your business is about making the best athletic shoes on the market, make sure your Twitter profile falls right in line with it. As enticing as it might be to throw up a few pictures of you fishing with some friends, keep your message relevant.

• Add Pictures – Many people want to see actual pictures of who they are talking to, not avatars or logos. As tempting as it might be to put your company logo up as your profile picture, save your logo for your background and put a picture of you on the profile. This will let people know they are talking to a real person and help your marketing efforts tremendously.

• Frequently Update – When you have something new, make sure you update your profile. This lets people know your business is changing and growing. Your brand depends on it. Remember to keep it a consistent message, but also to keep it filled with fresh content.

• Give Readily Available Contact Information – When branding yourself or your business on Twitter, one of the most important things is to make sure people know how to get in touch with you. Be sure to include applicable links to your website or any other methods of contact you might have such as email and phone. Specify how you prefer people reach you and list your business hours, if you use them.

• Stick with Simplicity – While you only have 140 characters to develop your profile, treat it as though it were SEO copy. You only have a few seconds to get your brand across before the potential client becomes bored and goes elsewhere, so be brief and chose your words wisely.

• Value Time – Take your time. Developing your brand on a new social media tool can be exciting and a lot of fun, but don’t let the excitement go to your head. Take your time and if you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a 5-minute break and go grab some coffee or a soda. If you take your time, you will be able to get out exactly what you want to say. You won’t need to go back and change your message 10 minutes after you have published it because you left something out or didn’t get your point across.

Branding your business took time, possibly even months. Give your Twitter profile the same attention you did to the initial branding efforts and it will pay off. Follow these steps and you will have a good understanding of how to use your Twitter profile to brand your business properly and effectively.