The Twitter list feature provides you with several ways to grow and manage your Twitter community. You can create lists of Twitter users around specific topics or themes, and you can include people even if you don’t follow them. Lists also allow you to create groups within the people you follow so you can focus on selected people.

• Before You Start: You have a business Twitter account and you understand how to create Twitter lists.
• Learning level: 4 | Creating Solutions
• Article Last Updated: Thursday, April 4, 2013

Twitter Lists For People You Follow

Many people on Twitter follow a large number of other Twitter users. There are advantages to this type of Twitter follow policy, but one disadvantage is that it’s easy to lose track of important people in the parade of tweets. One of the most effective ways to use Twitter lists is to create one or more groups of people within the people you follow on Twitter. This lets you follow a large number of people and at the same time, watch a group of people more closely.

Identify one of more groups of people within your Twitter following list that you want to watch more closely. For example, you might identify a group of businesses located nearby your own business, a group of peers, and a group of people you consider your friends on Twitter. Create a separate list for each group.

There are several ways to read the tweets from the people you place in a list.

• Twitter Clients. The most popular Twitter clients (HootSuite, Tweetdeck, etc.), have options for creating a column for each Twitter list. Check the online help for your tool for specific instructions.
• Twitter.com. On your Home page, Twitter shows a list of your lists in the right column under Saved Searches. To view the tweet stream for a list, click on the list name. You can reply and favorite items in this tweet stream.

By creating a list, you can filter out the general noise in your tweet stream and focus on the people you most want to hear. You can mark your list as private if you don’t want anyone to know that you have these lists, or if you don’t want the people on the list to know when you add or remove them.

Serving Your Community With Twitter Lists

Another important way to use Twitter lists is to create a list that would interest other people. For example, you might want to create a list for:

• Local businesses
• Businesses in your industry
• Businesses that provide similar services in your region (restaurants, real estate agents, museums, etc.)
• Members of a professional or trade association
• People who inspire you with smart business ideas, a positive outlook, or practical advice.

When you create a list, you can help other people find great resources on Twitter. Other people can choose to follow your list. As your lists get popular, you may find businesses asking you to add them to your list.

You don’t have to follow a business to add them to your list. In fact, adding a business to a list is a great way to let other businesses know about your business. Use your Twitter goals and your follow policy to help you decide which businesses to follow, and what types of Twitter lists can help you build your business.

Your turn: Have you created Twitter lists for your business account? Is your account on other people’s lists? Share your experience.

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