From Foursquare to Facebook, using social media lists as a personal curation tool is an increasingly easy and fun way to sort through the noise on your favorite network.
Business owners can also use social media lists to curate content on behalf of their customers, whether it’s to emphasize nearby neighborhood hotspots for brick and mortar businesses or to maintain high-touch relationships with super fans.
To find out more, I asked a panel of successful young entrepreneurs to share their smartest social media list-making strategies. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Share Brand Values With Fans
Increasingly, we’ve been seeing companies start to use lists to promote their brand. For example, the Virgin Group has created lists on the newMySocialCloud platform to share its beliefs with fans. This allows fans to connect with both the company’s values and the products the company is selling.
- Nikki Van Winkle, Elysium Enterprises
2. Curate Needs-Based Lists
A great way to curate valuable social media lists for clients is to base the lists on the clients’ needs. As a publicist, I created a Twitter list for “Media on Twitter” that’s helpful to my small business followers who are looking to reach members of the media.3. Monitor Client Requests
The number one thing we’ve seen success with is simply being there when people need help. More and more customers take to Facebook or Twitter with problems rather than sending an internal support email. Being able to respond quickly helps them get what they need, and anyone else who stumbles across us sees that we provide good service via social media.4. Assemble Your Fans
We’ve created a private list on Twitter for our super fans, and we often pop into that feed and comment randomly on related tweets. People love that we’re actively engaging with them and get a huge kick out of it.5. Give Unexpected Compliments
Adding customers, partners and clients to social media lists is a great way to make them feel recognized. Create lists with positive attributes like “Marketing Experts,” “Valued Customers” or “Favorite Customers.” When they receive a notification that they’ve been added to such a list, it’s an unexpected and subtle compliment.6. Circle Industry Content
I currently use a Google Circle labeled “Partners.” I use this to post high quality content that I create or find online. The goal is to become a thought leader in a particular niche. If your goal is to become a thought leader in gamification, then you need to make your Google Circle a high-quality hub for gamification information.7. Drive Subscribers to Interest Lists
In order to promote your startup, consider creating aFacebook Interest List. Take the time and effort to cull a modest amount of other Facebook pages that are related to your industry. Pick pages that contain genuine value for your readers. Include your page on this list. If you build a quality list, more people are likely to subscribe. Your content will benefit from increased exposure.8. Use Foursquare Lists to Attract Foot Traffic
Foursquare lists can be valuable for a local business. The more people are in your vicinity, the more likely they are to stop at your store. Create lists of all the best spots within walking distance of your location. This could also be a great way for a realtor to showcase the best spots in a neighborhood or give a virtual tour to people who are new to a town.
- Laura Roeder, LKR
9. Be a Definitive Resource for Your Industry
Regardless of your niche, there are always going to be others doing the same thing. Create a list of all of the people in your space. If you’re good at what you do, your customers will keep coming back to you. But if your company isn’t a good fit, you can still give users valuable advice by pointing them to someone similar who is a better match. They won’t forget that.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Cathdew
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