Who doesn’t like lists? Staying organized is a huge part of our day (at least I hope it is for most of us). For social sellers, Twitter Lists are a must.
We’re all up to our eyeballs in work and sometimes the only way to feel productive is to run your day with a well thought out and efficient list.
Your time on Twitter shouldn’t be any different, especially if you’re new to the 140 character beast. Whether you’re just starting out with Twitter or wondering if you should jump in, there are a ton of great reasons to start with Twitter Lists. Check out a few here.
Before We Start: Make Sense of It All
In general, this is the biggest advantage. Before coming up with rock star ideas on how to use Twitter Lists to your advantage (some are below), use it for its most endearing feature: staying organized and making sense of it all.
If you’re just following users, that’s a great start. But, take it one step further now and get lists going. They’re really easy to make. If you log into Twitter now, you’ll see this on your profile page.
If you use a popular app like Hootsuite or TweetDeck, there’s a quick way to add people there, too. Here’s how I’d do it on Hootsuite. See the “Add to List” button below.
Start by grouping people together in categories that make sense for your work life. Maybe that’s by profession or the idea you’re following them for.
It’s as simple as that. The key is to start!
Here are some other ways to use Twitter Lists to your advantage:
Find Influencers in All Areas
This one is fairly self-explanatory. If you’re looking to validate your point of view with potential buyers, using influencer content is great. Start with building lists of influencers in multiple areas.
If you’re selling paper & packaging solutions for example, perhaps make a few lists around chemists, environmentalists, petroleum, etc. Essentially, think of the sphere around the solution you sell.
Follow Competitors
Find your competitors, follow them, and add them to a Twitter list. It’s always good to do a scan every now and then of the content they’re putting out and who they’re talking to. Who knows, maybe they’re talking to your potential buyers? Or maybe they can give you an idea or an edge on your next step.
Holding Tank
Use Twitter lists as a way to tag people in a holding tank before you decide where they go. This is especially good for prospecting. Imagine you’re following a #hashtag and you find people that could be future targets/advocates/etc. but you’re not entirely sure of where they should go. Put them in a ‘Holding Tank’ Twitter list and keep an eye on them in an organized way.
Perhaps you’re at a conference or trade show and you had a good conversation with them, but you’re not quite sure where they fit. The conversation hasn’t made it clear or not if they’re a prospect or just a person you’d like to nurture. The ‘Holding Tank’ is a great place for these people.
Make a Twitter List for your Clients
Here’s a novel concept. If you’re looking to demonstrate the ultimate go-getter attitude, consider making a Twitter list for your clients or future buyers. You’ll be able to start having deeper level conversations by proving that you get their business. I’ll have a future blog post about this, but want to plant the seeds now.
The Bottom Line
There are many more ideas on how you can use Twitter lists to your advantage. If you’re new to Twitter, or wondering whether you should be on Twitter, Twitter lists are a great feature that you should absolutely explore and get to know well over time.
The key is to get started now.
Need some help getting started and setting up your Twitter lists? Let’s set up a time to chat and I’ll walk you through it.
