Using Twitter lists is the best way to organize the people you follow on Twitter. Before Twitter launched this feature, the only way to organize your contacts was via a 3rd party desktop application like Tweetdeck or Seesmic. Now you can create a list on Twitter and access that list on any desktop application, so you don’t need to keep recreating them.
So what are you using lists for? Many people on Twitter seem to be creating lists for the sake of creating lists; e.g. “Awesome people” and “Interesting to follow”. But did you know that you could use Twitter lists to further your professional and personal goals? Here are several creative ways to use Twitter lists.
1. Industry Peers and Professionals Lists
Use Twitter lists to keep up with the latest news in your industry. If you’re in advertising, create a list of other advertising professionals. If you’re a doctor, create a list of fellow medical professionals. For example, I’ve created a Twitter list for advertising and marketing professionals.
You can find individuals in your industry by searching on Twitter directories like Twellow, or list directories like Listorious. Not only will this help you keep up with the latest trends, but can help you network; these other professionals might be more inclined to follow you if they see you’ve placed them on a Twitter list!
2. Expert Lists
If you are an expert in a subject, create a list of other experts in a subject. This will not only keep you updated on the latest in your expert field, but it will establish your credibility as a thought leader in this field. Others interested in this field will follow your list, so you will benefit from this visibility. Or follow experts on a subject you are interested in, but are not an expert in yourself.
For example, Michael Zhang (@petapixel) has created a Twitter list for Best of Photography. Over two thousand people are following this list to get updates on photography, so that gets Michael a ton of visibility.
3. Networking Lists
Twitter can be a valuable networking tool. If there are individuals in your field you want to connect with, place them in their own list. This way, when looking for retweet opportunities, you can refer to the list of individuals you want to network with. Retweeting their content will get their attention, and this can spark conversation. For example, I’ve created a Twitter list for Boston ad agencies. So when I want to reach out to others in my field and in my city, I can quickly refer to this list.
4. Company Employee Lists
Create a list consisting of fellow employees at your company and the actual company Twitter account. Instead of naming this list “coworkers,” as you may switch companies every few years, name this list your company name, so you can refer back to this individual list years from now to see what your former coworkers from that time are up to. It’s a great way to keep in touch in addition to building your LinkedIn network.
If you control your company’s Twitter page, create a list of your employees; your customers and fans are probably interested in who is behind your brand. Even go so far as to create lists for the separate departments in your company.
5. Niche Lists
You can find people on Twitter who are interested in any niche topic. Want to find some new recipes? Want to find some new books to read? Fascinated by the American revolution period? Want to travel the world? Gary Arndt (@everywheretrip) has created a list for travel:
Listorious makes it very easy to find lists already created on thousands of topics, so you can browse these lists to find people you also want to list.
6. Fan Lists
Create lists for people who are interested your brand. You can easily find people who mention your brand by doing a Twitter search. You may not want to follow everyone who mentions you, especially if you’re in control of a large brand’s Twitter page, but you may choose to follow influential people or those that tend to interact with your brand’s Twitter page a lot.
7. Friends Lists
Make a list for your real-life friends! I keep my friends list private, and I always have a dedicated column for my friends in Tweetdeck. This way you can easily keep up with the people who matter to you most.
8. Event Attendee Lists
If you attended a conference (or are excited about an upcoming conference), search for individuals you met or hope to meet and organize a list for each conference. Keep the program after a conference and search for speakers you heard or interesting people you met. This is a great way to keep in touch, network, and find out about future conferences you’d be interested in attending. It’s also a valuable way for people not able to attend the event to follow your list and get the latest updates from home.
9. Celebrity Lists
Following celebrities on Twitter can be fascinating, but they can clog up your Twitter stream if you follow too many of them. And each of these celebrities, though having thousands or millions of followers, only follow a few people themselves, so you shouldn’t expect much reciprocation. Instead of following them, create a Twitter list for them. This way you can Twitter-stalk them when you’re in the mood for celebrity gossip, but ignore them the rest of the time.
Bloggers Blog (@bloggersblog) has created a massive list of celebrities on Twitter:
10. Research Lists
List can be helpful when researching a topic. If you need to stay current on a topic for work, set up a Twitter list with experts actively tweeting on this topic. Taking the time to research and build these lists will help you find the valuable information your looking for. And if you publicly share your lists, you have another way to boost your credibility when people follow your lists.
11. Role Model Lists
Are there people on Twitter that you aspire to? Perhaps they’re the top bloggers, or most charitable people, or successful individuals in your industry? Set up an inspirational list for yourself that you can look to when you need some motivation.
12. Job Search Lists
Looking for a job? If you’re out of work (or just looking for a switch), create a list of companies you’re interested in working or recruiter accounts to monitor the latest job postings. And if you are just looking for a switch, it’d obviously be best to keep this list private.
13. Affiliation Lists
Twitter is a great place to promote your affiliations. If you’re controlling a company blog and want to encourage your followers to follow partner companies or relevant people on Twitter, create a list for this. Or if you’re a social media blogger, create a list of other social media bloggers you’ve created partnerships with.
14. Geographic Lists
You may want to create a list for people on Twitter in your city or neighborhood. As I mentioned above, although I have a general list for advertising and marketing professionals, I have a separate list for these professionals in the Boston area. Creating location-based lists can help you network or even mingle with the people in your neighborhood.
15. Interactive People Lists
There are tons of people on Twitter who follow others for the sake of getting more followers themselves. But there are also those people on Twitter who are genuinely paying attention to you. Create a private list for people who interact with you, so you can refer to this list when looking for retweet opportunities, so you can return the favor. Or if you have a question, you can direct it at these individuals who are likely to actually answer!
How else do you use Twitter lists? Share your strategies in the comments below!
