Image courtesy of maya picture at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Target audience: Marketing professionals, SEO specialists, businesses, nonprofits, anyone with a Twitter account.
Guest post by Debbie Allen
If you’ve been wondering how you can get a cool Twitter background — without spending a lot of money — I have some suggestions.
There are lots of reasons to change your Twitter background. If you are using the default Twitter background, you are being judged. It makes you stand out as a beginner. If you’ve had the same background for months or years, changing it for the sake of good design is another good reason.
What does your Twitter background say about you?
Communicate with your Twitter background
Below I’ll provide information about ways to add cool Twitter background designs that can be used to help businesses, organizations and individuals promote themselves more effectively. Twitter profiles that use creative Twitter backgrounds get noticed. The background itself can draw attention, and that can help you gain new followers.
Twitter backgrounds are important for everyone who has a Twitter account. Besides using the backgrounds for branding and promotional purposes, the backgrounds can be used to communicate individual personalities. This is actually a personal branding opportunity. (See, for example, Socialmedia.biz founder JD Lasica’s use of a Kandinsky painting for his Twitter background.)
DIY backgrounds
First, let’s point out how easy it is to add your own images to customize your Twitter background. Just click on the Tools icon atop your page, choose Settings and then select Profile and design. From there you will simply upload the image you want and set it as the background. It’s a simple process, and it allows you to personalize your profile.
When you personalize your background, you communicate information about yourself or your business. For instance, besides being a writer, I happen to own a Shih Tzu and have an interest in the Law of Attraction. A Twitter background that illustrates some or all of these interests would be perfect for my personal profile. In comparison, my professional account uses the same background and design as my main website.
Some top Twitter background services

Certainly, you can use your own photos or imagery for your Twitter account. But don’t overlook the websites and services that offer free Twitter backgrounds. In most cases, the steps involved in the process of applying a new Twitter background are pretty much the same. You’ll search through the available backgrounds, which are usually sorted according to category and popularity, and choose the one you want. After providing basic Twitter log-in information, you’ll click to add the image as your background at your Twitter page.
Here are six of the top services providing Twitter background images that I came across:
• Tweak My Twitter is a website that offers this type of service. It’s easy to use and has a wide variety of backgrounds to choose from.
• Themeleon offers nice designs, but the selection may leave you wanting more. However, there are many unique features. First, you can actually customize the background color patterns and images. And second, you can save your themes. This makes it easy to apply changes and reuse the backgrounds at a later time.
• Free Twitter Designer is a simple but creative option. This service allows you to add text to the background, which is excellent for branding purposes. Plus, you can change colors to match those on your site. When you’re finished designing, you can save the background file and upload it to your Twitter profile, or you can export it directly to Twitter.
• Twitr Backgrounds offers a wide selection of background choices. This service has the added benefit of allowing you to add links.
• Twitrounds is a Twitter background service that is very easy to use. Just pick the theme you like, click, and change your background. The hardest part of using this service is deciding which background to select.
• Twitlay can be used to create typical Twitter backgrounds, but it can also create a background that consists of thumbnail photos of the people who follow you or the people you follow. This is different from most backgrounds, and that makes it stand out — which is a good thing!
Social networking sites are all about communication. Your Twitter communication can begin long before you make a tweet — let your background do some talking for you. A meaningful Twitter background is worth a thousand tweets!
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