Stay in the know, thanks to the power of lists
By: Jim Katzaman - Get Out Of Debt
Tags: Twitter, Social Media, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Productivity

Productivity is the hallmark of a successful business. Anything to stay organized gives entrepreneurs more time and resources to devote to the nuts and bolts of their companies.

For those on Twitter, creating and tapping into lists keeps them current on conversations and what their competitors are doing.

Account strategist Warwick Brown and digital marketing expert Madalyn Sklar talked about using Twitter lists like a pro.

“There are so many ways to use lists,” Sklar said. “You can create them based on your favorite content creators to keep track of their latest work.

“You might even want to have a private list for potential clients who you can work on connecting with over time,” she said.

Sklar has an article that shows ways to use Twitter lists. Another article explains how to create a list as well as how to join other lists.

“Save lists of all your current clients to keep up to date with their announcements,” Brown said. “It’s a great way to keep on top of developments in your client’s business and join — or start — conversations on topics important to them.

“Create a list of thought leaders in your profession to quickly discover conversations that matter,” he said. “Connect with others passionate about the same things you are.”

Lists can be customized so they are industry-specific.

“If you’re in sales, Twitter lists are a great way to generate business,” Brown said “Create separate — and private — lists of leads. Watch for opportunities to help, add value and bring awareness to your solutions.”

Enhancing special campaigns

Lists also channel intelligence and productivity for special marketing campaigns such as those during holidays.

“A successful holiday campaign is just like any other campaign,” said Nick Martin, head of global social engagement at Hootsuite. “You’re just competing with a lot more brands for people’s attention.

“How do you differentiate yourself from all the other brands?” he said. “We suggest going beyond trying to sell a product.”

Martin recommends that campaigns do one of these three things:

Restore people’s faith in humanity.

Spread humor.

Tell a great story or share great visuals.

“When in doubt, spread a little cheer,” Martin said.

Sklar added tips to create an effective Twitter campaign for the holidays:

Don’t Worry About it Being Too Late.

Make a List (of Goals) and Check It Twice.

Make Sure You Watch Those Merry Metrics.

She also favors these fun Twitter campaign ideas for the holidays:

Deck the Halls (or Rather Your Twitter Profile) With Boughs of Holly.

Bring Joy to the World With a Twitter Advent Calendar.

An article from Hootsuite describes seven of the best social media campaigns and what you can learn from them.

Campaigns start from solid networks, many of which form the basis of Twitter lists.

“Create separate lists for professional and personal networks,” Brown said. “Lists make it easy to stay in touch.

“You can even get automated digests of list conversations to your inbox with Zapier automations,” he said. “Then you’ll never miss a conversation.”

Regaining your bearings

Lacking lists, knowing what’s going on can be overwhelming.

“For many of us, it gets to a point where we’re following so many people, making it difficult to keep track of the accounts that matter most,” Sklar said. “Creating lists will help you stay updated with all your favorite people so you don’t miss anything.

“Lists will help you easily spot opportunities to participate in conversations with other people,” she said. “That lets you strengthen your relationship with them. Plus, they can help you find new people to connect with.”

Using lists helps build businesses.

“Find mentors, monitor business trends, find and engage prospects, watch competitors, build brand awareness and qualify leads,” Brown said. “You can do it all with Twitter lists.

“Here’s an idea to drive new business sales,” he said. “Create private lists for each stage of your sales funnel. Pin them to your profile to act as a reminder for a suspect, prospect, approach, negotiation or close.”

Sklar added that all these elements develop know, like and trust to grow communities and generate sales.

“It’s easy to find and follow public Twitter lists,” Brown said. “The great benefit is these have already been curated by someone who cares about the topic.

“All you have to do is subscribe,” he said. “Then dive right into the conversations.”

Subscriptions for all

Sklar emphasized that anyone can subscribe to any public Twitter list.

“The beauty of subscribing to a Twitter list is that someone already did the heavy lifting for you,” Sklar said. “For example, each year Social Media Examiner puts together a list of speakers. I don’t have to create that for myself. I subscribe to it and can access it.

“Tap into Twitter lists that you’ve subscribed to the same way you access the ones you create yourself,” she said. “This lets you see who is on the list and all the posts they’re sharing. Remember, when you’re subscribed, you can’t edit the list in any way.”

Warwick Brown’s screenshot shows the wide range of TweetDeck.

Several great apps integrate with Twitter lists.

“TweetDeck is an amazing way to monitor your lists,” Brown said. “Add your favorite lists as columns. Then use the tweet content filters to find relevant or popular conversations and the people you want to talk to.

“Inoreader is my favorite app that turns Twitter lists into a magazine,” he said. “Create a feed for each list. Browse the tweets for articles that interest you. You can also save and tag favorites and make notes within the app. That’s so very powerful.”

Sklar is a fan of TweetDeck and Hootsuite.

“They are great for viewing Twitter lists because you can create a dedicated column for each list,” she said. “Then you can see all of them on one screen without having to jump back and forth between each one you’ve created.”

Pinning your hopes

Pinned tweets play largely under-appreciated roles in supporting lists.

“The ability to pin and reorder lists allows you to quickly navigate to conversations important to you,” Brown said. “Customize the headers to give them visual appeal or share a message. It makes a list look great in a tweet, too.

“You can get creative,” he said. “Try pinning your favorite lists or perhaps order them into a process if you have a system for things you do.”

This is another way to easily access favorite things.

“By pinning up to five favorite lists, you can swipe between them to see what others are sharing,” Sklar said. “It’s faster than going into your lists, scrolling and clicking on the one you want to see.”

The pinned list feature is available on both desktop and mobile.

“It really simplifies things because you can select up to five lists for easy, quick access,” Sklar said. “If you have lots of lists, like me, it’s a great feature.”

A banner idea

Custom headers are another way to make lists stand out.

“You can get super creative with headers,” Brown said. “Use them like you would a banner for your Twitter or LinkedIn profile or Facebook pages.”

Added visual elements can intrigue subscribers or tell your story.

“It would be smart to design a great visual that grabs attention, but also helps communicate the purpose behind your Twitter list,” Sklar said. “What kind of content can people expect to see if they subscribe? Can you find a creative way to express that in your header?”

Creating a list has benefits, and so does being included on one.

“When you get added to a Twitter list, it’s like someone is saying they enjoy the content you share,” Sklar said. “Plus, the kind of lists you’re getting added to shows what people think you’re an expert in.”

There are also messages that can’t wait.

“You can pick up on conversations that are a matter of urgency,” Brown said. “It’s so much easier to socially listen with lists because all the noise is gone.”

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.