CheapTweet Blog

As you’ve probably seen over the past few days, Twitter has done a massive rollout of its new lists feature. If your account doesn’t have access to it yet, it will soon. Twitter Lists allow anyone to create a list of their favorite Twitterers in any category they want, and follow those people’s tweets in one place. These lists can be public or private.

As a business on Twitter, you’re probably already using it to talk with customers, share deals and news, and stay up-to-date with your industry. The Twitter List is another feature that can be incredibly useful for you and your customers. You can use public lists to curate collections of helpful resources that both engage and support your customers. Here are five types of Twitter Lists a business should make.

1. Company Accounts.

Make a list of your employees and other corporate accounts, if you have any. This makes it easy for customers to find the rest of your Twitter accounts. This is particularly useful if you have a number of corporate accounts or a group of employees on Twitter. This gives your brand a more well-rounded personality and gives customers multiple points of contact with you. As an example, here’s a good list of Dell employees and corporate accounts.

2. Complementary Businesses.

Make a list of other merchants your customers might like. What other products might your customers be shopping for? Make it easy for them to find those products. If you sell carpet and flooring, for example, you could create a list of other home decor retailers  (think paint, window treatments, furniture, etc…). We made a list of brands offering deals on Twitter.

3. Industry Thought Leaders.

Who are the big thinkers in your industry? Are there publications and media outlets writing about important industry news? Think of what resources your customers might want that relate to the kinds of products you sell. For example, if you own a bar, you might want to create a list of beer bloggers to help your customers learn more about beer and brewing. @AllGoodBeer has a great beer news list.

4. VIP Customers.

Say thank you to your biggest customer advocates by including them in a list. Customers love to be heard, and being included in a Twitter list makes anyone feel valued. Recognize your best customers and most vocal supporters with a list. Keep in mind that as of right now, Twitter lists have a limit of 500 people. To say thank you to the people who have helped make CheapTweet succesful, we’ve made a list of CheapTweet Stores and a list of Etsy sellers with popular deals on CheapTweet and are working on more.

5. Local Friends.

Wherever your headquarters are, whether it’s a big city or a small town, make a list of some your area’s most interesting Twitterers. Include both businesses and people, and try to get a representative but diverse sample. Lists of local must-knows will be helpful for Twitter newbies and interesting to even the oldest Twitter veterans. A good list of local Twitterers could even attract new customers, as well as reciprocal listings. For example, we love the Austin American Statesman’s list of 50 people to follow in Austin, Texas (CheapTweet’s home base).

Twitters Lists are brand new and we’ve already seen a number of creative uses of this feature. What can you do with it?