Twitter is one of the most popular sites on the web (over 40,000,000 users) and if you have not gotten an account yet, stop wasting your time and get one.  What happens next is the most important part of this process — what you do with your account.

Who cares if there are over 40 Million users on Twitter if you don’t know how to reach out to them?  Today we are going to have a simple discussion about not only what Twitter is, but also how to use it effectively to accomplish your goals.

What is Twitter?

If you already know the answer to this… skip down below and find some of the great tools you can start using to make Twitter more effective.  If Twitter is something unfamiliar to you and very foreign.. watch the video below.  Its a simple explanation of what Twitter is and what its purpose is.

Twitter Applications

Understanding what Twitter is a necessary first step to mastering it to meet your goals.  The next step is to develop a strategy to reach them.  I prefer to use the old fashioned advertising approach.. reach as many potential clients as possible.  I’m not a spammer, I don’t follow everyone, and I still have a very large amount of followers who click on my tweets (messages).  You see I use twitter methods which are both important and easy to do.

I have also compiled and categorized a list of the most useful Twitter applications to help you tweet successfully.  There are multiple options for every category and sometimes they do the same thing, so use what you feel comfortable with.  Also, you might notice I didn’t add everything to this article that some sites have and that is on purpose.  The applications I chose do almost everything you would want and even a lot of what other applications do alone. So find one or two good applications and stick with them.  The easier it is the more you will use it.

Networking & Management

Applications in this category focus on conversation, messages, and connecting.  These tools make it easier to use Twitter for what it was made for… connecting with other people.  These are not spam tools and if you are looking for automated following (which is a scam and should be avoided) then you wont find them here.

Tweet Deck

Excellent tool for mastering the intricate network of Twitter.  With its very custom and flexible dashboard you can chat, link, view, and retweet friends, followers, and complete twitter strangers.  One of the best features is the internal Twitter Directory and search capabilities.  The functions available make TweetDeck the ultimate twitter dashboard for beginners and pros alike.  – TweetDeck

HootSuite

Similar to TweetDeck in many of the options available but with a few extra features that might make HootSuite the best for managing Twitter.  Features like in program statistics, pending tweets, scheduled tweets, and adding blog feeds to your Twitter Account.  When it comes to managing Twitter, HootSuite has it all.  – HootSuite

Follower/Following Management

Building your followers and learning how to follow are important parts of Twitter.  These applications make following, unfollowing, and crossfollowing really simple.  Just check out the videos to learn how easy it is.

Refollow

Refollow is the best program for getting rid of followers who are either (1) Spammy (2) Not willing to follow you back (3) Not active on Twitter anymore.  Using refollow is simple and in my opinion the very best way to clean up your followers without giving out your password or messing your account up.  Just be careful and actually think about what you are doing and what it could mean to the people following you.  – Refollow

Buzzom

Any easy way to grow your account is by using Buzzom.  It allows you to actually target who you follow with out just randomly picking and also gives you some choice in the matter. Its very simple to use too!

Other Application Lists

The Most Twitter Apps Anyone Would Ever Need! – Seriously there are 275 Applications at the moment.  Many of them do the same thing or are completely useless, but if you want to explore and also be amazed.. this is a great list to learn about Twitter.

Top 20 Twitter Applications – Great list of Apps by TechCrunch based upon traffic rankings.  Some of the applications do the same thing and/or obsolete with new changes in Twitter or management tools.  Great list though and very interesting to see who is picking up the most traffic outside of Twitter themselves.

There are many other “programs”, “software” and scams to get you followers and allow you to “make money” using Twitter.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Also, unless you are on the official Twitter page or directly connecting into it… never give out your Twitter password to shady sites.

Conclusion

Using Twitter is a powerful way to build traffic, get rid of pesky spammers and create a social media brand.  Just make sure you are not missing out because you haven’t started using the right apps yet.

What do you think? Are these apps really the best or am I dead wrong?

Related posts:

1. Why Twitter Might Sink?

2. At Last, a Simple Guide to Mastering Twitter

3. Twitter – The Double-Edged Social Sword!