Twitter Lists: Making Twitter Work For You
- Aleja Seabron
- Jul 10, 2017
- 4 min read
Social media is wildly popular in our personal lives and our business lives, but not everyone is a convert. One of the most common reasons people don’t see the value of a business social media strategy is they are unaware of functions and capabilities of each individual platform.
Twitter lists are a great example of a little-known function that can make a big difference. A list is a group of Twitter accounts that you choose to combine. On your personal twitter, you may create a list for college friends, another one for politics, and a third one for your favorite sport.
Twitter lists can be used in many different ways for businesses. They are a great way to stay organized because each list can serve a different purpose. You can also follow someone’s posts without following the account. This is important because if you follow a lot of accounts, your Twitter feed can be intense! It updates rapidly, and content is all over the place – like spam.
Save yourself some time and use Twitter productively by creating lists of important accounts. You can have up to 1,000 lists with up to 5,000 accounts on each list. The possibilities are nearly endless! You can also make your lists public or private, so if you don’t want people to know they are on your list, they don’t have to know.
Groups
If you are interested in a certain topic, consider using lists as a way to follow accounts that are interested in the same thing as you. For instance, if you have a lot of business in Weddings, you should search Twitter for wedding experts or wedding terms and add those experts to your list. You can then refer to your list to find content you can later retweet or to engage with other experts in that industry.
Experts
When I first started out in social media, I created a list titled “Social Media Experts.” I made the list public and added all of the “who’s who” in my industry. You wouldn’t believe how many amazing connections I got from that list! People were flattered that I added them to my list, so they followed my account and engaged with me. We all know who the big players are in our industries. This is a great way to align yourself with them. Retweet them, comment on their posts, and build that relationship.
Client Curation
Another tip for those of you who provide wedding transportation: you can search the hashtag #Engaged or #SheSaidYes and limit your results to populate accounts near you. All you have to do is congratulate them from your business account. I don’t recommend pitching to them on first tweet! You are already on their minds by tweeting your congrats and leaving it at that. Remember, this moment is about them – not you!
Engage
If you have a list of companies that you hope to do business with one day, add their company accounts to a list. Monitor the list and engage often. The more the company engages with you, the stronger your relationship with them will be. Eventually you can move the conversation offline and into a face-to-face meeting. Also, you can create a list of your most loyal followers – the ones who retweet often, comment, favorite, or shout your praises from the rooftops. Reward your loyal followers by retweeting them back or offering them a special shout-out, discount, or prize. Behind Enemy Lines
You can set up a private list and monitor all of your competitors’ accounts. Keep tabs on things like how they are engaging with their Twitter audience, what offers they are posting, their company announcements, and any successful campaigns.
Be a Resource
If you specialize in something in particular – high-end cars, for example – find the accounts you need to follow for breaking news and information on those specialties. Use this list to find and compile content so your audience will know to come to your account to get all the information they need on a particular topic.
Staff Engagement
In today’s business environment, it is always important to part the corporate veil. If you use Twitter to engage with employees, you humanize yourself to your audience, and you build stronger relationships with your staff – it’s a win-win! By engaging with your staff, your staff will engage with you in return. You’ll see your retweets increase, and you’ll be making impressions on their connections as well.
Events
If you are hosting or sponsoring an event, create a public list that will track all the speakers and attendees. You will help participants connect, and individuals who can’t come to the event will be able to follow what’s happening in real time.
Customer Service
Track your company often. Look on Twitter to see if anyone is mentioning your business. Are they mentioning you in a positive or negative way, or do they have a question? Add these users to a private list, and you’ll have an easier time strengthening your relationship with them. Oftentimes, if a client has a bad experience, your response can make or break their ongoing relationship with you.
Twitter is a great resource if used the right way, and lists are a prime tool to organize your approach. Tweet often, share good information, brand your business, engage with clients and industry leaders, and enjoy the rewards.
If you’re interested in more information about how to use Twitter to your advantage, or if you’d like to discuss your Twitter strategy, email Aleja at aleja@lmc.group.