Tweets in 10 – Say Hello with Twellow

In this tenth post of the TweetsIn10 series, I want to talk about the solution to a problem I first encountered when I started on Twitter a few years ago. The problem still persists today and this solution is as relevant now as it ever was.

When you sign up, Twitter automatically recommends a handful of people to follow. Celebrities, sports teams, businesses, stuff like that. I followed a few of them but I wasn’t that interested in the ones offered. I prefer to follow people whose posts I want to read. No offense to Ashton Kutcher, but gossip about Demi Moore is not really what I care about reading.

So, I picked through Twitter recommendations and followed a couple but I wanted to follow more people. I followed my friends. I followed my clients. I followed my vendors. I followed some businesses that I was interested in. I followed some business gurus who came to mind.

Although I like to think that I’m a charming and magnetic individual, I’m realistic enough to know that there are lots of people who I can learn from and connect with who are simply not in my immediate circle of awareness – in other words, there are people I should be following who don’t leap to mind.

There are different ways to find these people but it’s not always easy: You might spot a Twitter icon on a website you’re reading. Or, you might click on someone you’re following and see who they are following. Both of these work, and should be part of your occasional workflow on Twitter, but neither one is a very effective use of your time.

That’s where Twellow comes in. Twellow is “the Twitter Yellow Pages”. Everyone on Twitter has an account on Twellow automatically (as long as your Twitter account is public). It’s a pretty standard listing pulled from your public profile on Twitter, basically. However, when you sign in to Twellow and “claim ownership” of your Twitter account, you use Twellow to find other people… and to be found by the right people who you want following what you have to say.

Finding others: This is so easy! Sign in and click to the “All Categories” tab. You’ll see page after page of categories that Twitter users have been categorized under. Click on a category and you’ll see lists of Twitter users with a “follow” button under their profile picture. Click the button and you’re following them. It’s that easy. You can unfollow them by clicking the same button.

Just schedule time to revisit this site periodically and click through categories that are relevant to things in your life. It’s worth spending 5 to 10 minutes a day on Twellow, finding people who you are interested in following. And, Twellow gives you a few different ways to find them – using a browsing function or by clicking through various categories. And their “suggested users” function is fairly new and a great way to find really relevant people fast.

Getting found: Adding followers is interesting, of course, but you will also want other people to find you! So, be sure to go to the “Profile Editor” in the tabs at the top of the site and edit your profile and build it out so that it is searchable and so that it appears in the relevant categories. Upload a bio of yourself and an extended bio, and, most importantly, be sure to list yourself in all the categories that apply to you (Twellow gives you up to ten “verified” categories). Make sure you select categories that will allow your customers and prospects to find you! For example, if you’re a copywriter, don’t select “authors”; instead, select “small business” and “marketing”.

Be sure to fill out all of your profile (including your other social media) so that people who find you on Twellow can also find you in other places as well.

Although I’m really happy with Twellow, there are other Twitter directories out there that you should be aware of. They might be better for your situation, so check them out and sign up to as many as you want:

The longer Twitter is around, and the more its user base grows, the more directories we’ll see springing up. There might even be an industry-specific user directory that you can join.

No matter what directory you join, you’ll find that it will save you time on Twitter while helping you to generate a list of followers and people to follow.