Internet Marketing Tools

Let me share with your ways I use Tweetdeck in my business.  

Getting Started

When you first install Tweetdeck you are given three columns Friends, Replies and Direct Messages. You will find a X above each of these columns.  Click the X on Replies.  Now click on the Search button on the top left of the Tweetdeck toolbar.  A search box opens.  Type in your Twitter user name.  This replaces the Replies column that originally comes with Twitterdeck. Now you have a column in Tweetdeck for every Tweet that contains your name.

Setting

Go to the Setting button at the top right hand of the page.  Here are a couple of setting that will help. Turn off the annoying beep every time a new Tweet comes in.  You can uncheck “Include All Friends” doesn’t really add anything.  Narrow the Column View if you want to see more columns at one glance.  You can also play around with the colors if you want.

Facebook/My Space

You can click on the Facebook Icon in the upper left hand corner of the page.  Follow the instructions and you can update your Facebook from Tweetdeck.  This will also create a Facebook column on Tweetdeck so that you can keep in touch with your Facebook page without leaving Tweetdeck.  You can go directly to Facebook from Tweetdeck and return directly to Tweetdeck without using an outside browser.   You can also do this for a My Space account if you have one.

Groups

You can form Groups on Twitter.  Go to the Twitter Icon on the upper left corner of the page to create a new column.  You will be given the option to create a Group.   Form any type of Group or Groups you want.  They may be friends and family.  They could be a professional group of people of fellow Twitters.

You have two choices to place people in your newly created Group.   You are given a complete list of all your followers.  You can check their box and they will be included.  Or to include people in Group that you have created, mouse over their picture on one of their Tweets and a drop down menu will appear.  It gives you the option of including them in your group.  From now on, their Tweets will come to you in the assigned Group column.

Searches

I find this the best tool in Tweetdeck.   Again go to the Twitter Icon to create a column.  This time select the Search function.  You can type in whatever search terms you want to create a new column.

Since I am interested in social media marketing, I have created a search column call Social Media Marketing.  In this column I get any Tweets that have “social media marketing” in the Tweet.  These have been very helpful to identify people who are commenting on social media marketing as well as resource they are tweeting about.  I find the search column function to be the most beneficial aspect of Tweetdeck.

I have another column for Direct Messages to me.  I can read many of these direct messages at one time and respond directly back to them without leaving Tweetdeck.

Filters

At the bottom of every column you can perform various functions with the column.  You can clear the column; you can filter the column.  For example you might want to create a filter on a column just for Retweets since they are the most popular Tweets.  You would just add a filter RT@ and that will be the only Tweet you receive in that column.

Conclusion

Everyone will use this tool differently.  It’s fun to discover your own way of using Tweetdeck.  It does helps you manage Twitter.  Instead of randomness, you now have a focused way of using Twitter for your marketing purposes. Try Tweetdeck and be sure to comment ways you are using this tool for your business. Others would love to hear how you are using this tool.

To be continued, your comments are most welcomed…

Al Hanzal