Twitter power tip – using lists

by on March 12, 2011

Twitter listsOne of the biggest objections I hear from small business owners to Twitter is how  on earth can I keep up with so many people?

The answer simply is, you can’t. When you follow hundreds or thousands of people, you could be on Twitter 24/7 and still not be able to keep up.

Don’t let this scare you away from using Twitter, though. The key is only keeping up with those Tweeps (aka Twitter users) that are important to your small business in some way.

Twitter makes it really easy to do this. All you need is lists to easily keep tabs on the tweeps that matter most to you.

How to create a Twitter list

To create a list, from your “Home” area in Twitter, go to the Tab that says “Lists”. You will then have the option to “create a list”. You then name the list, add a description if you want and then choose to make it public or private.

If you keep the list private, no one can see it but you. So you can call it whatever you want and put whoever you want in it.

A public list on the other hand, can be viewed by anyone on Twitter. Tweeps that you have added to a list will be able to see that you have done so. It’s a great way to foster relationships. People like being listed, as it gives them more exposure and often is a reflection of what they do, which is good for awareness and branding. Tweeps can also check out your list and may even choose to follow it.

So you want to make your public lists useful as well as relevant to your business. So for me, I have lists that highlight small businesses of course, as well as other small business coaches, marketing advice etc… Basically anything that I think would be of value to my target audience.

Ideas for Twitter lists

  • Current customers
  • Potential customers
  • Industry partners
  • Related businesses
  • People in your local community
  • Your competitors
  • Other people or businesses that work in your industry (great source of info for retweets and Facebook posts)
  • Other businesses you could see yourself working with
  • Businesses that target the same market, but offer non-competing services/products to yours (and could potentially recommend you)

Etc… These are just some ideas, but use your imagination to organize and create lists as you see fit. Think about what makes the most sense for your small business. You can always delete lists, so nothing is set in stone.

With lists, you can easily keep your eye on who is important to you and your small business in the Twitterverse, and simply ignore the rest. As easy as that!

Comments, likes and tweets are always appreciated! Did I mention that I LOVE your feedback?

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