Written by ContentPowered.com
Twitter is great, but you know what’s even better? Making it awesome using apps. None of those basic Twitter apps that Twitter themselves provide. Who do they think they are, trying to expand their own functionality? Just let third party devs do their thing and support the ones you can.
As a Twitter power user, you want only the best in third party apps. None of those boring apps that do one minor thing that any other app could do if it wanted. You need real, valuable apps. Here are ten of the best you should, at the very least, investigate. You don’t need to use them all, but you should, if you want to really call yourself a Twitter pro.
You might note that a few of the most visible and recommended tools aren’t on this list. I know. The fact that you know about the tools already means I don’t need to tell you, right? So consider them automatically mentioned.
Tweriod
You know how sometimes your users aren’t online? That’s where Tweriod comes in.
Tweriod is an app that’s designed with a single function in mind; analyzing the times your users are active based on when they tweet. It also analyzes when you’re most active, but more importantly, it tells you when you should be most active to maximize your exposure.
You want retweets? Make sure you’re using Tweriod to tell you when most of your followers are tweeting, so your messages show up in their feeds and they can see and retweet them immediately.
Topsy
Note: Apple has since shut down Topsy. You can read more about it here.
You know how sometimes, trends happen? That’s where Topsy comes in.
Topsy is a Twitter search engine just packed full of information. Put in a trend, a keyword, a hashtag or anything else, and you can run a quick and easy search through tweets with links, photo tweets, videos, tweets specifically from known influencers, or all of the above. It’s pretty much the best Twitter market research tool known to man, and it’s going to be indispensable as soon as you get used to using it.
TweetChat
You know how instant messengers exist? That’s where TweetChat comes in.
TweetChat is a web-based app with an optional desktop interface that turns Twitter into an instant messenger and chatroom service, based around hashtags. You can create a room or join one in progress simply by plugging in a hashtag. The app creates a chatroom-styled feed that automatically updates whenever a new tweet is made using that hashtag. It also allows you to send messages to the “room” and automatically applies the hashtag, so it appears to anyone using that tag, whether or not they’re using TweetChat. Personally, I find this to be an absolutely essential tool for responsive customer service.
Twibes
You know how LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups exist? That’s where Twibes comes in.
Other than sounding like a toddler pronouncing the word “tribes,” Twibes is a Twitter-based group hub where you can create, manage, and participate in groups with other Twitter users. Find tribes based on interests or industry keywords, or make your own. You can find some great influencers and good discussions within these tribes, and it’s much more engaging to a small, influential audience than broad hashtags or direct messages.
TweetStats
You know how people love analytics when they’re working on marketing? That’s where TweetStats comes in.
TweetStats is a simple web-based app that allows you to plug in a Twitter username, minus the @, and brings up a whole host of statistics. Some of them you can find in other analytics suites, some are unique to this particular interface. Check out your reply statistics, your activity timeline, and your activity based on day, week, month, hour or another segment of time. Just be aware that if you’re active or have a long history, it will take a while to pull up all of the information.
TwtQpon
You know how people like to get products cheaper than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price? That’s where TwtQpon comes in.
TwtQpon is a strangely-spelled app that allows you to create Twitter-specific coupons and publish them on, you guessed it, Twitter. It interfaces with your ecommerce suite and handles redemption along with publishing and creating the coupons in the first place. Want to offer specific discounts to only your Twitter followers, rather than anyone on any social media platform? Use this app.
Wefollow
You know how every industry has its influencers? That’s where Wefollow comes in.
Wefollow is a specialized search engine that doesn’t bring up tweets or hashtags, but instead brings up the most influential people in any given interest category. Just come up with keywords associated with the industry you want to watch, and plug them in to Wefollow. You’ll be given a list of people you should follow if you want to keep in touch with the pulse of the industry. It works surprisingly well, so give it a try.
Paper.li
You know how people used to read newspapers? That’s where Paper.li comes in.
Paper.li allows you to convert your Twitter feed into a customized, curated feed of content displayed in a compelling newspaper-like way. You can create this personalized feed based on the curated content you desire, and then you can share your own special “industry newspaper” to the people who follow your account. It’s best used as a sort of enhanced Twitter newsletter for your followers.
ManageFlitter
You know how you have people following your account? That’s where ManageFlitter come in.
While it uses the word Flitter, Filter might be more appropriate. It scans your followers or the list of people you follow, and it allows you to apply filters. For example, you can see a list of everyone you follow who doesn’t follow you back. You can see a list of everyone who follows you but is inactive. You can see a list of people who surpass a certain limit of tweets per day. You can see a list of every account following you who doesn’t have a profile picture. It’s great, because it allows you to tailor and remove the accounts you don’t see as beneficial when they follow you.
Fake Follower Check
You know how sometimes the followers who follow you are fake? That’s where Fake Follower Check comes in.
Fake Follower Check allows you to check your followers to find fake followers. When you run your fake follower check through Fake Follower Check, you can then quickly and easily remove the fake followers that it found in its check.
