Five Most Powerful Twitter Tools

Im a Twitter enthusiast. I use it on a daily basis to both, connect with other like-minded people out there and promote my business to those who might benefit from working with me. Even though I use other social media sites as well, I still find Twitter the most powerful tool out there for those who market to businesses.

If you use Twitter daily like me, you might as well start using some of the smart tools and resources to get the most out of your time.

1. Hashtagsr
Hashtags or “#” help group tweets within the same topic. They’re great if you’re looking to promote your event or connect with audience interested in specific theme. For example, you can use hashtag #quote when posting a quote and quote lovers will find it way easier. As a brand strategist I like to use hashtags like #brand, #branding, #strategy, #MagneticBrand etc. You can also use hashtags mentioning brands #coke, #starbucks; places #Hilton, #Toronto; hobbies #swimming #blog; events, or anything else. You can search for a specific hashtag to connect with people with similar interests to yours.

2. Tweet Chatr
Tweet chat is a great way to find other people who talk about topics that interest you and build lasting relationships. There are dozens of tweet chats running almost simultaneously. Simply find your favorite, ask about the schedule and enjoy. Some of my favorite: #leadfromwithin, #bizforum, #smallbizchat. Share your favorite tweet chat in the comment section below.

3. @ (“AT”) Messagesr
Connect with others out there by sending them a public tweet. Compliment them for something they recently did, whether it’s a blog post, book or event; share your insight or feedback, answer their question or recommend a great resource. AT messages are your ticket to getting noticed on this crowded network and building relationships that make a difference in your business.

4. Retweets (RT)
This is yet another great tool to help you both, share great content and gain attention of people you’d like to connect with. With over 20K twitter followers it’s very hard (and almost impossible) for me to stay in touch with everyone personally, but trust me, when people retweet my stuff, they get my attention. I usually check their profiles, mention them in my own tweets, send them a quick helpful tip or idea, or even add them to one of my lists. I believe many out there do it similarly. Remember, reaching out on social media helps you get noticed much faster.

5. Listsr
If you’re not using your twitter lists, it’s about time to start. It might be fun to read through full twitter stream if you have couple followers, but trust me, it’s not fun with couple thousand followers. With twitter you can create up to 10 lists where you assign those you want to follow more closely. For example, some of my lists are: branding, influencers, RT friends, friends & groups, small biz, etc. Some of them are locked, as I don’t want anyone to see them. I use locked lists for my competitors, clients and prospects. Some of them are public, because I want people to see my friends or resources (e.g. designers, bloggers, etc.). Also, you might want to know that I almost never check my public stream. I only check my lists. So chances are, if you’re not on one of my lists and you don’t keep in touch with me by “AT” messaging me or “RT”-ing my content, I probably never get to see your tweets. (Oops!) What lists can you create to get more out of your twitter time?