Social Media Branding for Indie Biz: Twitter + Pinterest

Social Media Branding for Small Biz: Twitter + PinterestPhoto Credit

It’s a 2-for-1 today as we continue our mini-series on social media branding for indie biz. We’re slowly working our way into image heavy social media with Twitter + Pinterest.

Let’s start with the birds…

twitter“Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting.”

Downloads: Twitter Background (Photoshop) / Twitter Background (PNG)

Once your design is ready, log in to your Twitter account + head over to Settings > Design to upload your rockin’ new background!

A few more Twitter image sizes for reference:

  • Profile Picture: 200px x 200px (Displayed at 73px x 73px on Profile / 48px x 48px in Feed)
  • Header Image: 1252px x 626px (Displayed at 520x x 260px)
  • Tweet + Image: Displayed at 435px x 375px
  • Tweet + Video: Displayed at 435px x 244px

Header images receive an automatic gradient overlay, making the bottom of the image darker. Keep this in mind when designing.

To ensure your images / photos show up in your stream, upload them directly through Twitter. Otherwise they may only show as a link.

There is a wealth of information for biz use over at Twitter for Business. While much of their content is directed at more corporate use, a lot of the tips + tricks can be modified for small, heart + handmade indies.

pinterest“Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you…[and used properly, it can]…help millions of people discover your business and share it with others.”

Pinterest is probably the most friendly social media tool out there for images of all wild + wonderful sizes, and with a super tiny 80px x 80px minimum, there’s very little you can’t pin.

In addition to a few handy visuals on our Pinterest board for indie biz, here are some basic dimensions to keep in mind when you’re resizing images for use specifically on Pinterest:

  • Profile Image: 600px x 600px (Displayed at 165px x 165px)
  • Pins in Feed: 238px x XXXXpx (Height Adjusted Proportionately – No Max)
  • Pins in Expanded View: 735px x XXXXpx (Height Adjusted Proportionately – No Max)
  • Board Cover Images: 735px x 498px (Displayed at 217px x 147px)

Did you notice the amazing height restraints? None! Tall images that feature tutorials / step-by-step processes / etc. perform really well on Pinterest, so it might be a good time to look around your studio for some inspiration. Think giraffe!

If you haven’t started a Pinterest account for your business yet (and even if you have) they provide a super resource for business pinning!

Now It’s Your Turn
Share your favorite tips for Tweeting + Pinning in the comments below…we’d love to hear how you make social media work for your small business!

Tweet + Pin + Whistle a Happy Tune,
Matt + Darice

P.S. Come back next week for another mini-tutorial for branding your social media! Please let us know in the comments if you have any questions about designing for your Twitter page + Pinterest boards, or if there is anything you’d really love to see covered during this series!

8 comments

  1. Samantha says:

    I really wish I had some social media tips to share, but honestly it is overwhelming to balance life with etsy, blogging, and social media. I do try to schedule some tweets on Twitter with hootsuite.

    • Darice says:

      You are so right, Samantha. As small business folk, we have to wear so many hats…it can get extremely overwhelming.

      We use Hootsuite as well. Did you know that you can schedule posts for Facebook Pages, Google+ Pages too? We also have a feed from our Instagram + Pinterest accounts set up. The best part – aside from simplifying all of the social media into one place – is that it’s free!

      We try to set aside about an hour a week to schedule out posts with Hootsuite…that way, even if we’re too swamped to check in on our accounts every day, we’re still present + sharing useful / fun information. 🙂

      All that said, I think some of the best advice we’ve ever heard is “You don’t have to do everything!” Here’s to balance!

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