The Twitter homepage can be rather confusing and overwhelming. It can also be difficult to track various sections of Twitter. However, there is an easier way to do it.

I’ve used Hootsuite, Bufferapp and TweetDeck to better manage Twitter. I got rid of TweetDeck, due to having to download it to my computer and continually having to click “update”. Now, I use a combination of Bufferapp for scheduling and analytics, and Hootsuite for managing.

In this post, I want to focus on Hootsuite. Please note: the interface looks slightly different since taking these screenshots, but the features are all the same.

Here’s how to navigate Hootsuite and how it can help you in business:

Step 1:

When you log in, you’ll notice your Home Feed (this is everyone you follow) and Mentions (this is everyone who mentions you, using your @Handle, in a tweet).

Step 2:

One of the real advantages of Hootsuite is being able to follow a conversation in one spot. If you see a tweet in your news feed, or have started a conversation with someone but can’t remember the full conversation, click “Show Conversation’’ to see it in its entirety.

Step 3:

“Compose Message’’ and “Select a profile’’ are the two elements of tweeting.

Step 4:

To “tweet’’, click on “Compose Message’’ in the top left hand corner and start typing. If you want to add a link to a blog post, for example, add it in the “Add a link’’ field, which will shorten the link for you to give you more space to write a message. Although, I would suggest bit.ly as a preferred link shorten as a way to track your click-throughs for free. Then click “Select a profile’’ and “Send Now’’.

Step 5:

Another great advantage of using Hootsuite is the Scheduling feature. It’s a good rule to tweet out content about 5 times over the course of a day. However, you don’t want to be coming back every few hours to put another tweet out. So you can schedule them to go out at different times. Even months in advance. Write your message, click “Scheduling”, select the date, time and if you want an email reminder when it goes out, then click “Schedule’’. Note, you can bulk upload tweets as well.

Step 6:

After you begin following lots of people, your News Feed can become overwhelming. Creating lists is a great way to manage this better, so you can follow select people and subjects. Click “Add Stream’’.

Step 7:

Here you’re given a few options of streams you can create. If you’re scheduling tweets, as mentioned above, it’s good to open a “Scheduled Tweets’’ stream. You’ll also want your Home Feed, Mention and Direct Message.

Step 8:

Tracking keywords can work in a few different ways. If you’re an author, you may want to track the keywords “romance book’’ to see the latest tweets about the subject. I’m tracking the #Blogfor30 hashtag at the moment, so I can see what others are posting on their blogs and tweeting out during the 30-day blogging challenge. You may want to find a particular blogger, so you could search “@KellieOBrienAU’’, for example to find me.

Step 9:

Another one is “Lists’’. This is a way to track a group of people in a particular subject. If you’re a business wanting to watch for media callouts, you might create a Media list and start following journalists. This way they don’t get lost in your general newsfeed. If you’re looking to do blogger outreach, you could follow a host of bloggers who you think would be a good fit as a means to get to know them better. If you’re a photographer, you may want to follow 10 professional photographers to learn from them and have content you can retweet. The possibilities are endless.

Step 10:

To add someone to a list, click on their profile. At the bottom of the profile window, click “Add to List’’. A little box will appear where you can select the correct list from a dropdown list and then click “Save’’.

Step 11:

Lastly, you can track multiple Twitter accounts and Facebook pages you are admin of via the “Add Tab’’ along the top. I have included my two Twitter accounts and two Facebook pages.

There is also now a “Conversation’’ feature, which is not something my business needs right now!

And that’s it! Tomorrow we’ll look at the basics of tweeting to put everything you’ve learnt together.

If you want to move to the next level with Twitter, join the 5-Day Twitter Challenge. Click the image below.

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What do you use for Twitter?

Please note: Some links in this post are referral links. This means I may receive a commission if you choose to do business with the company in the future. Know that I only endorse those products that I love.