Twitter Lists for Community Marketing
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As Twitter rolls out its new feature sets, one is jumping out from the rest. Twitter lists, one of the newest additions to the popular micro-blogging platform, are a remarkable new feature offering massive potential to online marketers, community managers and online presences of all sizes and styles. From small-time online businesses to massive online communities, the addition of lists to Twitter’s already impressive feature set brings even more potential to use the service for your online marketing efforts.
What exactly are Twitter lists?
They’re simply a way to arrange Twitter accounts into categories and quick-fire databases. Want to make a list of your favorite Twitter affiliate marketers or top comedians? Simply create a new list and add them to it, including everyone that you view highly and tweet with relentlessly. Twitter lists are public by default, so you’re welcome to share your discoveries with the world and promote underrated Twitter accounts and online presences.
Of course, the default reaction to Twitter lists is to try and get yourself on as many as possible, and that’s certainly a great strategy for your online marketing efforts. Lists, much like followers, are a great way to measure online authority and respect. While followers can easily be gamed through Twitter tools and strategy guides, lists are a much more thick form of authority and value. It’s easy to add 10,000 followers and see them add you back, but much more difficult to find yourself on hundreds of lists.
So what is the best way to get your profile listed on as many lists as possible? Lists are much more selective, quality-wise, than your followers are, and it’s significantly more difficult to find yourself appearing on a large range of them. Start by fostering community and two-way conversation.
Up until now, Twitter has been, for many people, nothing more than a one-way promotional device. With lists now affecting online authority and promotional power, marketers need to generate two-way conversation to find themselves appearing on them. So, instead of sending out 100 promotional tweets, survey your community on their favorite things about your online business. Instead of directing people to landing pages and email captures, direct them to your online community pages — Ning, vBulletin or Facebook work well — and have them discuss your products, offers and marketing efforts. Lists are all about involvement — when you include customers in your marketing efforts, they’ll talk about you, add you to their lists, and passively promote you.
Like all forms of online marketing, gaming the system can only take you so far. Twitter lists will undoubtedly be gamed, either through programs or automation systems, but it will severely hurt your long-term value if you try to take this strategy. Invest your time into fostering community with the big-time list builders, find your way onto their top lists, and then you’ll see your account grow, your marketing efforts improve, and your online authority rocket to the top of the charts.
So, what lists will you be creating?
Hungry for more? Some of my favorite resources for more information on Twitter Lists are:
http://mashable.com/2009/11/02/twitter-lists-guide/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgh75af_k2w
http://amyporterfield.com/index.php/2009/10/how-to-create-a-twitter-list/
Enjoy!
Andrea KalliCertified Internet and Social Marketing VA
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