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Twitter Tools Used by Social Media Experts
With so many Twitter
tools out there, it’s hard to know which ones to trust with your Twitter
account management. So why not take a look at what the social media and industry experts are using! Here are ten Twitter applications
and tools used by some of the top Twitterers.
The following list is
presented in alphabetical order:
Bit.ly
Bit.ly is just a URL shortening service right? Wrong!
Used by @marismith, @techcrunch, and @problogger, a free Bit.ly account will give you access
to a dashboard where you can shorten and share links to multiple Twitter
accounts. You can also see the stats for any Bit.ly links you share through
your dashboard and plug your Bit.ly API key into Tweetdeck, Twitterfeed, or
Seesmic to get stats for links you share through those applications as well. As
an added bonus, you can even create your own custom
short domain to match your brand so
you can have branding similar to Mashable’s on.mash.to and Amazon’s amzn.to custom URLs.
Buffer
Buffer is deemed the smarter
way to tweet, and is used by @tweetsmarter, @jaybaer, and @askaaronlee. It allows you to simply schedule your tweets to be spread
throughout the day so you don’t go through a reading spree and inundate your
followers with 20 tweets within an hour. You can also get great analytics on
your tweets which will help determine what your audience loves, or doesn’t, out
of the content you share as well as the times of day you get the most action on
your tweets.
CoTweet
CoTweet, used by @nealschaffer, @chrispirillo, and @emarketer, is considered a Twitter marketing tool for
companies who want to engage, track, and analyze conversations about their
brand. The free version allows you to manage your Twitter accounts, collaborate
with multiple users, track clicks and limited analytics, schedule tweets, keep
conversation history for 30 days, and more. The enterprise version (starting at
1,500USD a month) allows integration with Salesforce, advanced user roles and
permissions, workgroups, and full analytics.
HootSuite
HootSuite is one of my personal favorites as far as Twitter management is
concerned, and is also quite popular amongst the social media elite including @chrisbrogan, @tweetsmarter, and @tamar. It is a freemium tool, meaning that you can
use the free plan if you have fewer than five social profiles to manage. But
the Pro version for unlimited social profiles including enhanced analytics
isn’t too steep at only 5.99USD per month.
Paper.li
Paper.li is a unique application that allows you to
collect tweets and curate them manually or automatically in a newspaper-style
format which can be automatically shared daily on your Twitter account. Used by @scottmonty, @guykawasaki, and @leeodden, this app is a great way to collect the top
tweets from your followers, people on a specific Twitter list, or even anyone
who mentions a particular #hashtag. It does drive a nice bit of traffic to sites mentioned by top users, so while some
people may not like to be mentioned, others greatly appreciate it!
SocialOomph
SocialOomph is another freemium service used by @mike_stelzner, @smallbiztrends, and @jeffbullas that allows you to schedule tweets, track keywords, extend your
Twitter profile, and much more with an unlimited amount of accounts for free.
If you choose to go professional for 29.97USD, you get additional features such
as Facebook scheduling, tweet via email, have others update via email, manage
DM spam, broadcast DMs to all Status.net followers, and again, much more. Plus,
for an additional 3.97USD you can automate following those who follow you and
sending welcome DMs to new followers.
Triberr
Triberr is an invite only community used by @lewishowes, @seanmalarkey, and @nealschaffer that allows you to join “tribes” of like-minded bloggers in
order to expand your reach on Twitter. Simply plug your RSS feed in and members
of your tribe will tweet each new post. As a member, you can set yourself up to
do automatic tweeting of other member’s posts or manual tweeting when you have
reviewed and approved of the posts. I personally just copy my Triberr tweets
into HootSuite for full scheduling control.
TweetDeck
TweetDeck is a desktop Twitter management tool used by @jasonfalls, @problogger, and @marshallk. It has features similar features to HootSuite in terms of
creating columns to organize your Twitter activity as well as the ability to
send longer messages using their Deck.ly service which creates a shortened URL
that directs followers to the rest of your tweet beyond 140 characters. I love
the interface of this one, but since I use multiple computers, it makes more sense
to use a browser-based application instead of one you have to install on a
local machine.
Twitterfeed
Twitterfeed, used by @sengineland, @amyporterfield, and @cindyking, allows you to add RSS feeds (yours and
others) to be shared automatically through your Twitter, Facebook, and other
social media accounts each time there is a new update to them. You can
customize the tweets to show the title of the new post, the link (shortened by
your preferred URL shortener), and even add a RT @username or via @username so
you let the blogger know you’re always tweeting their posts. It’s a great way
to curate content for your audience automatically, but just be careful that the
blogs whose feeds you use always publish quality content.
Visibli
Visibili is a free
service used by @brett, @davepeck, and @denisewakeman that lets you create a custom sharing bar that goes with any
links you share through their service. This custom share bar can have your name
and social sharing icons as well as links to your website and even a Tweet
button which recommends your Twitter accounts and Facebook Like button that
connects to your fan page. It can be connected to your Tweetdeck or Seesmic
desktop apps, installed on your blog for outgoing links, and installed as a
bookmarklet on your browser bookmark toolbar as a quick way to share with your
customization at the top of every link!
What Do You and Your
Favorite Twitterers Use?
Now it’s your turn.
What Twitter apps do you use to manage and update your Twitter account? What
apps do your favorite Twitterers use? Share your thoughts on these and other
apps in the comments!
Also, if you want to
find out what others are using, my method was viewing their tweets in HootSuite
which lists what application sent the Twitter user’s update. It’s a great way
to find out what apps are working the best for people your industry!
About
the Author: Kristi Hines is a
freelance writer, blogger, and social media enthusiast. Her blog Kikolani
focuses on blog marketing, including social networking strategies and blogging tips.
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