If you just received the very prestigious “Inbound Certification” from HubSpot like I did, then the first thing I want to say to you is: Congratulations! You have separated yourself from the rest of the crowd and have become a part of a very elite group of marketers.
Now you are probably thinking: What should I do with my certification badge? Well, some folks like to add the badge to their resumes or portfolios, others frame and hang it on the wall, and others still show it off on their desks.
Me? I want to post my new shiny badge all over my Twitter profile page.
Is that weird?
Actually, it's not weird at all.
If you're on the hunt for a new job, give prospective employers to find out that you're an Inbound Certified professional. And if you're not, it's always nice to connect to fellow marketers. Putting the badge on your Twitter profile is a great way to do just that.
How to Display Your Inbound Certification Badge
You will need Photoshop, or an equivalent program for manipulating images. If you don't have Photoshop, you might look into using Apple Aperture or Corel PaintShop Pro.
In the desktop version of Twitter, your profile picture needs to be about 82 x 82 pixels on a background that of 520 x 260. But on the mobile version, the profile picture is considerably larger relative to the background at 78 x 78 pixels. The mobile background shrinks to 320 x 160 pixels but maintains its 2:1 proportion. Also, the profile picture is positioned slightly higher on the background as compared to the desktop layout.
1. Take a Screenshot
Aligning the header picture with the profile picture is a little more difficult than you might think. The easiest way to get the alignment right is to take a screenshot of your Twitter’s header image on your browser. You can do so by holding Command – Shift - 4 on a Mac, or click the screen shot button on your PC keyboard. I started by taking a screenshot of HubSpot Academy’s Twitter Header. This is just an example, you can choose other Twitter handles if needed.
2. Edit your image
Then, I imported the picture into Photoshop.
By using the “Layer” feature in Photoshop, I decreased the opacity of that layer.
By doing so, when I import a screen shot of my Twitter Header, I will have a better understanding of where the profile picture and the text will be located. This way, you can avoid placing your badge in those areas.
3. Upload the new image to Twitter
Afterwards, I placed and resized my “Inbound Certification” badge. I went back and turned off the HubSpot Academy layer that I used at first as a guide. Then, voila! You have your own Twitter Profile with your “Inbound Certification” badge.
Here's what mine looked like when I was done:
Need help with yours? Drop me a line or leave a note in the comments. And congratulations again!