Five Twitter Time-Saving Tools I Use

When I'm talking to business owners and marketing directors about Twitter, I always here "I just don't have the time." I understand that social media marketing can me a time suck in our business day, but it doesn't have to. There are tools that you can use that will help you save time when using Twitter, especially if you are new.

If you can just commit 15 to 20 minutes to social media marketing, including using Twitter and Facebook you will begin to see the positive marketing impact it can have on your business.

These are five tools that I not only suggest to others but use myself. I promise, they will help save you time and increase your chances of success with social media marketing.

1. Tweetdeck
   I love this tool. It's especially useful if you are new to Twitter and trying to figure out how it works and how to use it. It's an application that allows you to Tweet with individuals, but you can also perform search queries and be notified when someone is searching for you. It's a great tool that can consistently run on your desktop if you want it to. You can also save time by using it to measure your Twitter buzz.
2. TwitterFeed
   TwitterFeed is a free service that will automatically post your blog posts directly into your Twitter account, so that your followers can read the blog posts that are of interest to them.
3. Über Twitter
   This is my mobile application of choice when it comes to tweeting from my cell phone. I used to use Twitterberry, but it continued to freeze up my blackberry, so I ventured out to try UberTwitter and I love it. I can read tweets of those that I follow, reply to tweets and get my direct messages all from my blackberry. Talk about a timesaver for a business owner or marketing director that is on the go.
4. MrTweet
   If MrTweet was available I think I'd date him, ok maybe not but this tool is one of my favorites. MrTweet takes care of me by giving me recommendations of who I should follow and also showing me those that are following me that I haven't followed in return. Awesome time saving tip that can get you following those that add value to your tweeting experience; what a gentleman.
5. TweetLater
   Unlike the other tools I've shared with you this one will cost you a small fee, but it's worth it. This little application gives you a lot of features, just be careful on how you use them and make sure you aren't using it to spam those who follow you - that's just considered bad taste. Now that I've given you my public service announcement regarding TweetLater let me tell you why I enjoy it. TweetLater allows you to schedule tweets, track keywords on Twitter, send welcome direct messages to new followers and follow those who follow you automatically. Obviously with offering all those features in one application you can see why this tool helps in saving time.

Truth is I think many people make social media marketing too hard. There are many tools out there that can help us in saving time and assist us in being more effective with our social marketing. Don't use the excuse that you don't have the time, because more than likely your competitors are finding time - just a thought.

Let's tweet, shall we. Come follow me by visiting my Twitter profile.