The Pulse

A Twitter list is a list of Twitter users organized into a group. You can organize groups any way you’d like.

Each list gets it’s own page on Twitter that shows only the tweets of the people in that list.

For an example check out my list for New Zealand Businesses on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/JustinFlitter/nzbiz

Twitter lists can be either public or private. Once you have created your own public group others can follow that list.

Twitter lists are a great way to follow people without actually following them or to sort people you follow into groups based on their location, profession or interest.

To set up your own Twitter list follow these simple steps:

• Login to your Twitter account
• Go to your profile page
• On the right side, look for “Lists” and click the “New List” link
• Enter a list name, description and choose public (everyone can see/follow your list) or private (only you can see it)
• Click “Create List”
• Now your list will appear on the right side of your page
• Search for the people you’d like to add to your new list
• On the profile page of the person you’d like to add, on the same line as “Following” you’ll see a “Lists” button to click
• A drop down will appear where you can check a box to add the person to your list
• Repeat for anyone you’d like to add to the list

Once you’ve created your list, you can view all the tweets from the people in that specific list.

During the social media workshops I run we go through how a business can use Twitter lists to listen and engage with key stakeholders.

Here are a few suggestions for lists you can create to benefit your business.

Private Lists:

• All of your customers, business accounts and key personal contacts
• All of the companies that you’d like to be your customer, company accounts plus key personal contacts
• All your competitors and key personal contacts
• Vocal/loyal customers and industry influencers

Public Lists:

• All of your employees on Twitter
• Industry influences in Australia/New Zealand
• Industry influencers around the world
• Friends of the company, local businesses and organizations you support

In the recruitment industry many firms use Twitter lists to listen to people who’ve applied for work through them or to keep in touch with people they’ve placed.

Many businesses have short customer interaction timelines. Twitter lists enable businesses to listen to those customers and maintain a more active dialog, helping to strengthen relationships and benefit from repeat purchases.

Many people follow brands for customer support so adding all your customers to a Twitter lists is a great way to pick up on any issues or questions.

How do you use Twitter lists? If your business is using Twitter lists in a unique or creative way please leave a comment and share it with other readers.

Justin Flitter | Social Media Consultant – justinflitter.co.nz