You have been listed | SocialExcerpts

You have been listed Oct 03

If you do fairly decent on Twitter, chances are you follow a good number of people, either to get you business or to keep you updated. Keeping a tab of all the people you follow can be daunting, which is why we suggest you start listing people. For example, if someone is in sales, they should have at least five lists, which include companies (pertaining to your industry, clients, competitors, potential prospects, and partners.

Lists on Twitter allow you to categorize people in groups and you have already started to group the type of people in your head, allowing you to make sense of the noise. The importance of the lists lies in the fact that you can monitor a small group of people who are important to you and your business. You can share the lists publicly or keep it private. For instance, a list called “potential prospects” would be good to keep to yourself (as in a private list). Lists that have been created by others are available for you to follow and your public lists are available for others too. These are called public lists. There are third party tools available online and free to listen and monitor these lists. Tweetdeck and Hoosuite are worth the mention.

What more? You can utilize these lists to help others, and in turn help yourself increase your value and followers.

Share your lists. If you already have public lists created, then make sure others know about it as well. Share your lists on your website or blog. The URL for a list would typically look like, https://twitter.com/username/listname. Add them to your email footer for assured reach. Make sure you add yourself to these lists, as people who subscribe to them, may want to follow you too.

It is important to name your lists well. The name will form a part of the shared URL, avoid acronyms, make them enticing. For example, “Worldwide CMO List” or “My Favorite Blogger”.

You can use the Twitter list as a marketing tool, hence while creating the list you need to keep few pointers in mind.

Who are your target customers? (“Audience”, in case of a blogger)

Do they have versatile interests and needs? (If yes, define each)

What are their goals, and how are they related to your area of business?

What are the information that will help them reach their goal?

What kind of information do customers find interesting?

Who tweets information on a regular basis?

Build a list after you have all the answers. It will help you in defining and segmenting you customer segment, designed to meet their goals.

Remember, these lists can/will be followed by your competitors! Be mindful of the environment.

You now have created a powerful resource for List members providing a real service. In the process, you have met a whole bunch of potential customers, with who you can share your thoughts, views and products.