5 genius Twitter features for businesses to use in 2021

What’s new on Twitter? We make it our job to stay on top of the latest Twitter features for businesses so our clients get maximum value from this social network.

Twitter is constantly evolving to keep up with its competitors and offer its 330 million users something new. Our favourite innovations are those that make it easier to engage with customers on Twitter without resorting to bolt-on apps. 

We love these social media management tools too. But the more you can do without switching between browsers the better. Here’s a round up of what we think are the best native Twitter features:

1. Moderate who takes part in your conversations

One of the most recent developments on Twitter is the ability to control who jumps in on the conversations you start. This is a handy Twitter feature for businesses and individuals who find they get irrelevant, bizarre or offensive responses to their tweets.

The ability to moderate conversations on Twitter was still being rolled out when we published this post in June 2020. But eventually you will see it when you start composing a tweet.

The default setting is ‘Everyone can reply’. You will see this in the composer box. Click on ‘Everyone can reply’ and you can switch to only ‘people you follow’ or ‘people you mention’.

People who can’t reply will still be able to view, retweet, retweet with comment, and like these tweets.

2. Scheduling tweets in Twitter

Got a great idea for a tweet but now is not the right time to send it? Or do you want to post a tweet on Saturday without worrying about working on the weekend? We have good news: it is now possible to schedule tweets in Twitter on you desktop computer.

When you start a new tweet you’ll see an icon that looks like a calendar and clock. This is next to the icons for uploading images, adding gifs and emojis. Click on this and you can schedule your tweet to share whenever you’d like in the next 18 months.

At the bottom of the scheduling box you will be able to see your ‘Scheduled Tweets’. You can click this to edit or delete them.

You can also schedule tweets using Twitter ads.

3. Switching Twitter profiles 

If you have personal and business Twitter accounts it is simple to add all your accounts to your mobile or desktop browser and switch between them without logging off.

On your smartphone, log into your primary account using the Twitter app. Tap on the circled dots in the top right of the screen. Now at the bottom of the screen select ‘Add an existing account’ and enter the username and password for your other account.

You will now be able to see your other account’s avatar in the top right of the screen. Simply tap this to switch accounts.

On your desktop, click on your avatar in the bottom left of the screen and then ‘Add an existing account’. When you want to switch between them, click on your avatar in the bottom left again and select your other account from the pop up box.

4. Create a moment

Creating a moment is Twitter’s way of helping users get across messages that need more than 280 characters.

You can create a moment of your own tweets and add in other people’s to tell a story from different perspectives. Brands can use moments to highlight customer feedback, round up topics that matter to them, or important tweets they have posted.

So how do you do it?

You can only create moments on your desktop. Click on the thunderbolt icon in your left sidebar and then the thunderbolt with plus symbol.

Next, add a title and description. Then find some tweets to add to your moment. You can add tweets you have liked or that are by a specific account, or you can search for them.

Make the title of your moment clear and think about including a hashtag so it is easy for others to discover.

5. Create lists of accounts

Lists are a classic Twitter feature and one of our favourite Twitter features for businesses. This is because it makes it easier to focus in and engage with your favourite profiles. You can also create secret lists to monitor your competitors. 

You can make lists on your smartphone app or desktop. Go to Lists on mobile or the list icon on desktop and click the list icon with a plus symbol. 

Name your new list and give it a description. You may like to make several lists based on news accounts, suppliers, industry reps and thought leaders. This is particularly helpful if you follow a lot of accounts.

Your list will be publicly accessible unless you check the ‘Make private’ box. If you leave this box unchecked accounts will be notified when you add them.

When you have created some lists you will see a pin icon next to them. Tap this and your list will be added to the top of your Twitter home page on your smartphone to make them easier to access. On desktop, your pinned lists appear at the top of your list page.

We hope you find these Twitter features as useful as we do.

If you would like to find out more about Twitter features for businesses or using Twitter as part of your social media marketing, we can help. Amplify PR is a Southampton PR and marketing agency helping businesses manage their presence on social media.