If you’re familiar with tools such as TweetDeck, EchoFon, or HootSuite, you’ve most likely encountered the ability, or at least heard about it, to schedule tweets. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, these Twitter profile managing tools allow for a user to compose a tweet and then decide what time it will hit the ‘net. For example, if I wanted to wish my followers a happy New Year but would be at a networking event on New Years Eve, I could schedule a tweet to post at 11:59pm on 12/31. As you can see, this would be very useful to someone who has a strict schedule but still wants to remain engaged with their followers.

You thought that was good? It gets better.

With one of the latest versions of HootSuite, users are now able to schedule up to 50 tweets at one time instead of having to enter and schedule each post manually. Basically, a ton of legwork is removed and people can be more efficient with their posts and time management.

Interested? Read on. Interested and not using HootSuite? Go sign up today and then read on! (Author’s note: It’s well worth it!)

Here are the step by step directions to bulk scheduling your tweets using HootSuite:

1. Open your spreadsheet program (even Google Docs will work for this) and save your document as a CSV file (.csv extension) with a descriptive name.

2. In column A, enter the date and time that you’d like to schedule a tweet. In accordance to HootSuite protocol, it needs to be at least five minutes from the time you’ll be scheduling it. Enter it in dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm format. For example… 31/12/2011 21:59 (Depending on the autoformat rules of your program, it might reformat the date for you. If this happens, simply right format the date back to the desired format using the Format Cells option.)

3. Next, enter your tweet text in column B on that same row. The message can be no longer than 135 characters (no link included in the tweet) or 115 characters (link included). If you are including a link, you don’t need to include it in this cell; we’ll get to that next.

4. If you are attaching a URL to your tweet, place it in column C. You don’t need to send it through bit.ly or ow.ly beforehand; the HootSuite Magic Scheduling Tool Thingy will do that for you.

It’s really that simple! At this point, we’re going to import our one tweet into the bulk scheduler so you can see how it’s done. Obviously, if you’d like to do 49 more, you can but since I don’t want you to read those four steps 49 more times on this blog, I’ll cut to the chase.

5. Log into HootSuite and click into the Compose Message… window. Select the Schedule Message icon at the bottom of the window and then hit Schedule In Bulk.

6. Find your CSV file on your computer or network and then select the Twitter profile you’d like to have the tweets scheduled under. If you’re using Google Docs, just hit “.csv file” from the Download As… menu just find that file on your computer. Warning: Be SURE to select the correct profile if you have more than one. I’ve made this mistake before and, unfortunately, there is no “Unschedule Multiple Tweets” button in HootSuite. Be triple careful!

7. Just hit Submit and you should be rockin’ and rollin’! If HootSuite doesn’t like something, it will spit it back to you and give you a descriptive (shocker!) error message. Fix what needs fixing and do step six again.

Again, it’s that simple! I have found that this saves me about four to five hours in a week. It’s great what you can do with this tool. Kudos to HootSuite for making it available and kudos to you for reading this article to figure out how it’s done!

Questions? Problems? Just let us know!

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by shadowkill

It has amazed me what has been done through Twitter.  For example, businesses have integrated it into marketing campaigns, millions of dollars have been raised for good causes, and celebrities have become closer to fans.

Different tactics have been employed to accomplish the feats above but one particularly interesting strategy sticks out – scheduled tweets.  This isn’t a built-in feature of the Twitter.com web interface but it can be done through Twitter account management programs, such as HootSuite.  Scheduling tweets can enhance a movement or project and it can save you some valuable time.  The list below is not a comprehensive guide to the benefits of scheduling tweets but it illustrates the point that scheduling tweets can prove to be a valuable resource for you and your business.

Benefit #1 – You Keep Your Time

It takes some time to tweet tons of information, especially if you’re someone who produces content on a regular basis.  Scheduling tweets can save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.  Here’s a scenario…

You’re a quote person.  You love to read them and you love to share them.  However, you don’t always have time to send one out during the day.  Let’s face it, your job is demanding.  It would save you a lot of time and effort to take 20 minutes at the beginning of each month and schedule a quotable tweet each day.  This way you don’t have to panic and wonder if you have sent out your quote of the day yet.

That is just one scenario as to how this would be save time.  There are plenty of others.  Scheduling tweets allows you to use up a few minutes now in order to save you hours of frustration later.

Action Step: Log into your Twitter client and schedule a post that will save you time down the road.  Do you have a message you send every day each week?  Schedule that post for the next three weeks.

Benefit #2 – Spread The Word

It can be tough to create a movement or to spread the word about a cause, especially if you are only doing it as a hobby or for a non-profit.  Scheduled tweets can ease the burden of spreading the word.  Want to promote your favorite charity or non-profit once or twice a week?  Schedule the tweets for certain days throughout the month and you’ll be good to go in just a few minutes.  No need to keep track of when the last post was sent or if you have already sent your two tweets this week.

Action Step: Think about a cause you’d like to tell others about.  Schedule two tweets in order to share some information about your cause.

Benefit #3 – Automation Made Easy

There are times when we all forget to tweet or we are not able to do so.  A great way to compensate for the loss of Twitter time is to schedule tweets.  You can maintain your Twitter presence without being near a cell phone or Internet connection.  Plus, your colleagues will be amazed when you tweet while you’re in a big meeting with the corporate executives.

Action Step: Figure out a time when you’ll be unavailable – a movie, a dead zone, or early in the morning – and schedule one or two tweets to post at this time.

These are only a few of the benefits of scheduling tweets.  There are limitless possibilities for scheduled tweets.  Be creative and imaginative.  Try a few different tactics and see what works for you.

Overall, scheduled tweets can save you time and energy while growing your Twitter presence and the trust others have in you.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by NightLord

Let’s face it – Twitter can be a tough marketing tool to manage.  Although messages are only 140 characters, it can be pretty difficult to maintain your brand, let alone your sanity.  In order to make up for these hardships, people take the easy way out and begin to follow a thousand users every day, hoping that once a magic number is reached their troubles will vanish.  Not so much.

The key is to engage your Twitter followers.  It’s a tough task, believe me, but it can be done.  I’m going to give you nine ways to engage your Twitter followers.  If you can successfully manage these nine concepts, you’re well on your way to effective Twitter leadership.

9.  Actively maintain various Twitter lists.

Twitter lists allow for a user to create a list of users who fall into a common category.  A user can create a list for any group of people, including professional athletes, family, and locals.  The key is to create and maintain a variety of Twitter lists.  If a follower sees their name on a list, they are more likely to place your username on one of their lists.  The more lists you’re on, the more publicity you can receive.

8.  Become efficient with hashtags.

Hashtags are statements preceded with the pound sign (#) that usually denote a particular event or feeling.  For example, if you’re attending or watching the Super Bowl, you might use the hashtag #superbowl in your tweets.  Hashtags can be searched and tracked; therefore, increasing your publicity and engagement with other users.

7.  Post useful information.

Although you can tweet about anything you’d like, it would be best if you provided useful information to your followers.  Most people don’t follow someone on Twitter because they like their hair or username.  Usually solid information has something to do with it.  If you veer from posting helpful or thought-provoking information, you will begin to lose followers and the trust of those who continue to follow you.

6.  Follow people who produce valuable content.

This point goes hand-in-hand with number seven.  In Twitterland, quality is far more important than quantity.  Some would argue that when you have more followers, you increase your chances of great PR.  Wrong.  Having a small number of followers whom you can engage with is far better than having 900+ spammers and advertisers on your “Following” list.

5.  Suggest interesting people for others to follow.

If you are following someone who always posts interesting or useful content, recommend them to your followers.  The most popular way to do this is through Follow Fridays.  On Fridays, simply list the interesting users you follow and place the “#FF” or #FollowFriday” hashtag at the end of your tweet.  These hashtags let other users know that you are recommending people for them to follow.  As a general rule of thumb, if someone recommends you, be sure to recommend them at some point.  The more people you recommend, the more people who recommend you.

4.  Don’t be afraid to say “Thanks.”

Make sure that you thank the people you interact with on Twitter.  When you do, this implies a more sincere and genuine relationship, even if you’ve never talked before.  Saying “thank you” is not a bad thing.  In fact, a simple “thank you” for a retweet or a follow can make the difference down the road when someone is purging useless users from their Twitter stream.  Don’t forget your manners.

3.  Use direct messages when necessary.

Direct messages, or DMs, are a great tool to use when interacting with a user about something that shouldn’t be public.  For example, if you are talking to a user about their account settings, you should use DMs and not a simple reply.  Also, DMs make people feel more unique because they aren’t messages posted to the public Twitter stream.  When a user feels unique, the chances that they will stick around and engage with you increase dramatically.

2.  Retweet useful content.

Be sure to retweet useful content you come across on Twitter.  Retweets, or republished tweets, are very important in the Twitter world.  When you retweet, your Twitter followers can learn about information published by other people they may not be following.  It’s kind of like a Follow Friday but for only one user.  This is a great opportunity to show others that you care about what they’re saying and, in turn, they will continue to follow you.

1.  Don’t be shy with your replies.

If you have a reaction, thought, or other useful information to someone’s tweet, reply to them with what you’re thinking.  The ct of replying can start conversation and can lead to many great things (following, lists, partnerships, meetups, etc.).  Don’t be afraid to share your reactions.  That is why people publish content in the first place.

Engaging with people on Twitter is a tough task but if you follow the points above, you should have a firm grasp on the essentials of Twitter leadership.  To learn more about Twitter leadership, check out 21 Days to Twitter Leadership by Joel Mark Witt.  Happy tweeting!

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by spekulator