The latest topic buzzing across the blogosphere is the rollout of Twitter’s new Lists feature. This addition to Twitter’s feature set is something early adopters have been using in desktop Twitter clients like TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop for some time, but lists created with those applications were independent of Twitter itself and tied specifically to the software being used.
Now that Twitter built lists into their own functionality, the third-party apps will likely follow, adapting their list features to integrate with Twitter, and essentially making everyone’s lists more accessible.
The purpose of Twitter Lists is to allow you to place chunks of followers into separate groups (or lists, get it?), making it easier to stay current with what people are talking about. If you have an account on Facebook, this idea might sound familiar (Facebook uses groups to filter the news feed on your homepage). Just like Facebook, these Twitter Lists could include your family members, college friends, golfing partners, or anyone else. However, as a business or organization using Twitter, you can use these lists in many other ways.
5 Twitter Lists your business should build today
If you’ve not heard about lists until now (or haven’t created a list yet), this post will outline some specific ways your business can take advantage of this feature and help you get more out of your time on Twitter.
1. Create a list of employees who tweet
You know it is important to have a Twitter profile for your company, but how can you leverage your staff’s expertise on Twitter? Simple: group them in a list. If your employees are tweeting about things relevant to your business, why not promote what they are doing, as well?
Examples: Twitter’s team list, InformationWeek’s staff list, Catchfire Media’s team list
2. Create a list of your most engaged customers
As an organization with a large audience to keep track of, it may get difficult to keep up with the stream of updates coming through Twitter. Use this list to track those you interact with often, or those who talk about you the most. This will keep them in your sights and make it easier to promote what they are doing.
Examples: NHL’s Penguins fans list, Marguerite Granat’s list of recruiters who engage others on Twitter
3. Create a list of trusted vendors
Just as important as developing relationships with your customers online is maintaining relationships with key vendors for your business. If someone is looking for an email marketing service, maybe your organization’s vendor could be a good solution for them as well. Helping them connect on Twitter could be the first step in a successful relationship, just like that introductory lunch or opening handshake.
Examples: Karin Crawford’s list of recommended wedding vendors in Phoenix, Zagat Buzz’s NYC food trucks list
4. Create a list of industry peers
Part of why you’re on Twitter is to promote your industry and other experts in the space (right?). Developing a list of industry peers and partners shows that you are connected to your field, plus it helps others learn more about your line of business.
Examples: Laughlin Rigby’s list of airlines and air travel tweets, Bert DuMars’ list of industry experts analysts
5. Create a list no one else could build
While no one else is probably building a list of your tweeting employees or a list of your favorite vendors, some of the other lists I’ve suggested could already have been created by someone else. If that’s the case, think about developing a list that only your business could put together. What type of list would people in your target audience be interested in following? Build that list, and share it with others.
For help discovering lists you may want to follow or to get ideas for what lists your business could build, visit Listorious, a directory for popular lists built by Twitter users.
How do you see Twitter Lists improving your experience on Twitter?
[Photo from koalazymonkey on Flickr / CC BY 2.0]
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In answer to your last question…create lists, but don’t follow people! I think this is huge. Can completely segregate groups and keep them out of my main timeline. I just figured out you don’t even have to follow someone…just add them to a list. I will probably end up creating boatloads of lists!
Also, using the new “lists” widget in your sidebar to display relevant lists you’ve created can also be beneficial.
I think you are on to something with using lists in place of following individuals. For example, you may be interested in what a list of industry experts are sharing on Twitter, but you don’t necessarily want to see what all of them are saying all the time. If you have them on a list, you can check in whenever you want and dip into that stream. When you’re done, you can go back to a more manageable list of actual accounts you follow. Great thought!
Also, I must have missed the news about the Twitter List Widget. I agree that it would be a great way to share those lists you’ve built with your audience.