The Ultimate Guide to Using Twitter Lists to Grow Your Business

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What Are Twitter Lists?
3. Why Use Twitter Lists for Business
4. Where to Find Relevant Twitter Lists
5. Step-by-Step: How to Create a Twitter List
6. 10 Types of Twitter Lists to Create for Your Business
7. How to Use Twitter Lists with HubSpot‘s Social Inbox
8. Twitter List Strategies for Business Growth
9. Conclusion

Introduction

As a marketer in the digital age, it‘s impossible to ignore the power of Twitter. With over 330 million monthly active users, this social media giant provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect with your target audience, build brand awareness, and drive meaningful engagement.

But let‘s face it: Twitter moves fast. Every second, around 6,000 tweets are shared, which translates to over 350,000 tweets per minute, 500 million tweets per day, and around 200 billion tweets per year. Trying to keep up with all of that content is like trying to drink from a firehose – it‘s overwhelming, to say the least.

That‘s where Twitter Lists come in. Lists allow you to cut through the noise and focus on the accounts and conversations that are most relevant to your business. When used strategically, Twitter Lists can be an invaluable tool for social listening, relationship building, and content curation.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive deep into the world of Twitter Lists. You‘ll learn exactly what they are, why they matter, where to find them, and how to create them. We‘ll also explore 10 types of lists every business should create and share some advanced strategies for using lists to grow your Twitter presence.

Ready to become a Twitter List pro? Let‘s get started!

What Are Twitter Lists?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of using Twitter Lists for business, let‘s make sure we‘re all on the same page about what exactly they are.

Simply put, a Twitter List is a curated group of Twitter accounts. You can create your own Lists or subscribe to Lists created by others. Lists can be private (only accessible to you) or public (anyone can subscribe to them).

When you open a List timeline, you‘ll see a stream of Tweets from only the accounts on that List. This allows you to focus on a specific group of accounts without the distraction of your main Twitter feed.

It‘s important to note that adding someone to a List does not mean you are following them, and vice versa. Following and adding to Lists are two separate actions. Users are not notified when you add them to a List unless it is public.

Why Use Twitter Lists for Business

Okay, so now that we know what Twitter Lists are, let‘s talk about why they‘re so valuable for businesses. Here are a few key benefits:

1. Cut Through the Noise

As we mentioned earlier, Twitter is a noisy place. It‘s easy to miss important content and conversations when your timeline is cluttered with irrelevant tweets.

By organizing accounts into Lists, you can create focused streams of content that are tailored to your specific interests and goals. This makes it much easier to stay on top of important discussions and engage with key accounts.

2. Monitor Competitors

Keeping tabs on your competitors is an essential part of any social media strategy. But you probably don‘t want to follow them outright and give them the satisfaction of another follower.

The solution? Add them to a private List. This allows you to keep an eye on their activity without them knowing and without cluttering your main feed.

3. Strengthen Relationships

Twitter Lists are a great way to show accounts that you value their content and opinions. Adding someone to a List subtly signals that you‘re paying attention to what they have to say.

Plus, when you engage with accounts on your Lists regularly, you‘ll start to build meaningful relationships that can lead to valuable opportunities down the road.

4. Streamline Content Curation

Creating Lists of accounts that consistently share high-quality, relevant content is a great way to streamline your content curation process. Rather than scouring your main timeline for share-worthy posts, you can quickly scan your lists and find the best content to share with your audience.

5. Gain Valuable Insights

By creating Lists of accounts in specific niches or industries, you can gain valuable insights into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in your field. This intelligence can inform your own content strategy and help you stay one step ahead of the competition.

Still not convinced? Check out these eye-opening statistics about the power of Twitter Lists:

• Twitter users are 6x more likely to retweet something from a List they subscribe to
• Tweets from Lists generate 47% more engagement than other tweets
• Using Twitter Lists can increase your follower growth rate by up to 14%

Sources: Twitter, HubSpot

Where to Find Relevant Twitter Lists

Now that you‘re sold on the value of Twitter Lists, you might be wondering where to find high-quality, relevant lists to follow. Here are a few places to look:

1. Twitter‘s List Suggestions

Twitter‘s "Discover" section includes a "Lists" tab that suggests popular Lists you might be interested in based on your activity and the accounts you follow. While these suggestions aren‘t always spot-on, they can be a good starting point.

2. Influencer Lists

Many influencers and thought leaders curate their own public Lists of other experts and resources in their industry. Browse the profiles of influential accounts in your niche and see if they have any public Lists worth following.

3. List Directories

There are several websites and directories that allow users to share and discover Twitter Lists. Some popular options include:

• Listorious
• TweetBe.at
• lists.io

4. Advanced Twitter Search

You can use Twitter‘s advanced search features to find Lists on specific topics. Try searching for terms like "marketing list," "SEO list," etc. and see what comes up.

Once you find some relevant Lists, take a look at who created them and who they include. This can give you ideas for other accounts and Lists to follow.

Step-by-Step: How to Create a Twitter List

Creating a Twitter List is a fairly straightforward process. Here‘s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Log in to your Twitter account and navigate to your Lists page by clicking on your profile icon and selecting "Lists."

2. Click the "Create new list" button.

3. Enter a name for your List (up to 25 characters) and a short description (100 character limit).

4. Choose whether you want the List to be private (only accessible to you) or public (anyone can subscribe).

5. Click "Save list."

6. To add accounts to your List, navigate to their profile page, click the three dots icon next to the "Following" button, and select "Add/remove from Lists."

7. Check the box next to the List you want to add the account to, then click "Done."

It‘s that easy! You can add accounts to multiple Lists, and remove accounts from Lists at any time using this same process.

10 Types of Twitter Lists to Create for Your Business

Not sure what types of Lists to create for your business? Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Industry Influencers: Create a List of thought leaders, keynote speakers, and subject matter experts in your industry. Use this List to stay on top of industry news and engage with influencers.

2. Competitors: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? Add your competitors to a private List so you can discreetly monitor their activity.

3. Customers: Create a List of your best customers and brand advocates. Engage with this List regularly to nurture relationships and turn customers into lifelong fans.

4. Prospects: Build a List of high-value prospects you‘d like to convert. Monitor their tweets and look for opportunities to engage and offer value.

5. Partners: Add your strategic partners, resellers, or affiliates to a List to easily support their content and stay aligned.

6. Employees: Encourage employees to use Twitter and add them to a List. This makes it easy to engage with their content and amplify their reach.

7. Industry News: Curate a List of publications, journalists, and news outlets that cover your industry. Use this List to stay informed and find content to share.

8. Event Attendees: Attending a conference or event? Create a List of other attendees and speakers to network and engage with them before, during, and after the event.

9. Local Businesses: Build a List of other businesses and organizations in your local area. Use this to build community and cross-promote each other.

10. Team Members: If you manage a team, create a private List of your team members‘ Twitter handles. This provides an easy way to see what everyone is tweeting about and engage with their content.

Of course, these are just starting points. The specific Lists you create will depend on your unique business goals and target audience. The key is to be strategic and intentional about the Lists you build.

How to Use Twitter Lists with HubSpot‘s Social Inbox

If you really want to supercharge your Twitter List strategy, consider integrating them with a tool like HubSpot‘s Social Inbox.

Social Inbox is a social media management tool that allows you to monitor, organize, and engage with social conversations all in one place. And yes, it supports Twitter Lists!

Here‘s how to use Twitter Lists in Social Inbox:

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Social > Social Monitoring.

2. Click "Create stream" in the top right corner.

3. Select "Twitter List" as your stream type.

4. Choose the Twitter account you want to use and the List you want to monitor. You can also add additional filtering criteria if desired.

5. Give your stream a name and click "Create stream."

That‘s it! Your List stream will now appear in your Social Inbox, alongside your other social monitoring streams.

From here, you can:

• View a real-time feed of tweets from accounts on your List
• Reply, retweet, and like tweets directly from the Inbox
• Assign tweets to specific team members for follow-up
• Mark tweets as "dealt with" once you‘ve taken action on them
• Analyze the performance of your Lists over time

Using Twitter Lists in Social Inbox provides a more efficient and organized way to monitor and engage with important conversations. Rather than hopping back and forth between Twitter and your social media management tool, you can do it all in one place.

Plus, Social Inbox‘s intelligent automation features can help you stay on top of important tweets without being glued to the app 24/7. You can set up alerts for specific keywords or accounts, so you never miss a crucial conversation.

Twitter List Strategies for Business Growth

So you‘ve created some awesome Lists and started monitoring them in Social Inbox. Now what? Here are a few advanced strategies for using Twitter Lists to grow your business:

1. Engage Regularly

The whole point of creating Lists is to focus your engagement on high-value accounts. Make a habit of checking your most important Lists daily and engaging with the content you find there.

This could mean retweeting great posts, replying to start a conversation, or even just liking tweets to show your support. The more you engage, the more likely those accounts are to notice and reciprocate.

2. Share Your Lists

If you‘ve curated some particularly valuable or interesting Lists, consider sharing them with your followers. This positions you as a knowledgeable source and provides value to your audience.

You can share a link to your List with a tweet like:

"Looking for the best #MarketingTwitter accounts to follow? Check out my curated list: [link to List]"

Just be sure your Lists are high-quality and on-brand before sharing them publicly.

3. Use Lists for Customer Service

Twitter is often the first place customers turn when they have a question or complaint. Create a List of all your customer service-related accounts (like @YourCompanyHelp) so you can easily monitor and respond to inquiries.

You can even set up a dedicated stream in Social Inbox for this List to ensure no customer tweet slips through the cracks.

4. Collaborate with List Members

Look for opportunities to collaborate and cross-promote with other accounts on your Lists. For example, you could:

• Co-host a Twitter chat on a topic of mutual interest
• Swap guest blog posts or podcast interviews
• Run a joint social media contest or giveaway

Collaborating with List members is a great way to expand your reach and build mutually beneficial relationships.

5. Analyze List Performance

Use Twitter Analytics and Social Inbox‘s reporting features to track the performance of your Lists over time. Look at metrics like:

• List growth rate
• Average engagement rate of List member tweets
• Clicks on links shared by List members

This data can help you identify your most valuable Lists and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, if you notice a particular List is driving a lot of website traffic, you might double down on engaging with those accounts.

Conclusion

Whew, that was a lot of information! But we hope this deep dive into Twitter Lists has left you feeling empowered and inspired to use this valuable tool in your own social media strategy.

To recap, Twitter Lists allow you to:

• Cut through the noise and focus on important accounts
• Monitor competitors and industry trends
• Build relationships with influencers, customers, and prospects
• Curate high-quality content to share with your audience
• Gain actionable insights to inform your overall strategy

And when you pair Twitter Lists with a powerful social media management tool like HubSpot‘s Social Inbox, you can supercharge your results and drive real business growth.

So what are you waiting for? Go forth and start building those Lists!

But before you go, we‘d love to hear from you. What‘s your favorite way to use Twitter Lists for business? Do you have any pro tips to share? Let us know in the comments below!

And if you found this guide helpful, be sure to share it with your network. Together, we can all become Twitter List masters and take our social media strategies to the next level.

Happy listing!