We heard from a little birdie, i.e. Twitter, that Twitter has officially launched the live testing of “Professional Profiles.” What does this mean? According to a tweet published by Twitter Business (@twitterbusiness), “Professional Profiles are a new tool that will allow businesses, non-profits, publishers, and creators — anyone who uses Twitter for work — to display specific information about their business directly on their profile.”
Professional Profiles Explained
This option seems similar to Instagram’s Professional account type, which allows businesses and creators to showcase important information that they would not otherwise have been able to on a personal account. Current Twitter accounts can include certain information in the “bio,” such as website links, but Professional Profiles will allow for much more.
According to Social Media Today, Professional Profiles features may include the following:
- Business Type/Category: Again, similar to Instagram’s layout, companies and professionals will have the option to label their profile as a specific category — ex. Retail & Shopping, Non-Profit Organization, etc.
- Business Information: Similar to Facebook’s About section, this portion of a Professional Profile will include important information about a business, such as the address and contact information like an email address or telephone number.
- Verification Checks and Business Badges: As of right now, certain Twitter users, mostly celebrities and brands, have “verified” accounts, which are distinguished by the little blue checkmark next to the profile’s name. This feature will carry over to the Professional Profiles; however, they will also have “Business Badges,” which will confirm that the account is for a legitimate business or personality.
As of right now, the live testing is only impacting a handful of selected business owners. Twitter is planning to launch the feature to more users as time goes on.
The Twitter Experience
Now, you may have some questions. Will the coveted blue checkmark be taken away from those accounts that do not belong to businesses, professionals, creators, etc.? According to Hootsuite, Twitter relaunched its verification program in January of this year — meaning that users can once again request verification if they meet certain criteria. So, the checkmarks probably aren’t going very far. But how else does this major update impact users? Will you have to choose a category for your business? What if your business doesn’t have a physical location and therefore, doesn’t have an address? These are all questions that will (hopefully) be answered within the following months.
For now, businesses and creators can continue to use their accounts like they normally would, publishing their latest and greatest content for other users to consume. Need some help with yours? Contact the social media marketing team at ENX2 Marketing today! We can help build your online presence, pushing you to rise above your competition.