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Twitter Tools: Managing Multiple Twitter Accounts

By 89 Comments

UPDATED: Sep 11, 2011 to remove dead links and add new comparisons.
NOTE: Because these applications are always being improved and changed be aware that some of what is linked here will no longer be accurate.

Social Media Overwhelming? Image Credit Fuel Lines Social Media Blog
Social Media Overwhelming? Image Credit Fuel Lines Social Media Blog

While most people are already using Social Networking sites, few are doing it in a time effective way that will generate results – or using the best Internet Marketing Tools.

No matter what your goals – or even if you only use Social Media for fun – there are still benefits to understanding what works best.

Be sure to read our Twitter Best Practices post too.

Before I get into how to make the time you spend on Social Networking sites more efficient, I want to make a recommendation that will save you time and major headaches:

Focus on the ONE thing you are most passionate about and create ONE power site and matching Social Media persona.

In the past, those who made money online emphasized multiple sources of income and many had dozens or even hundreds of sites. Even those who taught that in the past are selling off their additional sites because actively updated blogs are already far more important.

Search engines now favor new content. I sincerely believe that you will do better to focus on growing one blog consistently than you will spreading yourself across many. When you add Social Media into the mix this becomes even more important.

If you already have multiple blogs this series of posts will be most useful to you and I hope you will add your own tips to what I share. I have been challenged to advise on, manage, write for and promote multiple blogs – each with multiple Social Media accounts – and it is a huge challenge that I have yet to master.

Instead of having separate blogs consider finding the connection between multiple subjects. Center your blog around the topic that you write about most frequently and create categories for related topics.

For example, many of us write about How to Use Social Media, provide Blogging Tips, show you How to Build Your Blog, write about How to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing, teach AdWords optimization or help others.

All of those topics ARE related because to effectively implement Internet Marketing Strategies we use all of those and eventually so will our readers. Other connections are less obvious to many.

Less obvious is that the home improvement niche is related to real estate so bloggers in those niches should connect on Social Networks. People interested in buying Florida homes could be interested in home renovation products and readers interested in home restoration could be in the market to buy a Florida foreclosure to fix up.

Even more obscure is that real estate is related to golf because people who love to play golf often buy homes built around golf courses like these Las Vegas golf homes or the River Hills Florida Golf Community.  Real estate bloggers should cultivate relationships with golf related blogs.

Regardless of whether you have one blog or many, it is essential to find ways to make the time you spend on social networking more effective. If you have more than one persona the first essential tool is a way to manage multiple Twitter accounts.

The first priority is to decide which of the available Twitter management tools to use. The options I know of are TweetDeck, HootSuite, Pluggio, Seesmic,  SplitTweet, Digsby, Matt, TwitIQ, Tweet3, Social Ooomph, and Media Funnel (formerly known as TweetFunnel)  and no doubt there are others.

If you have a passion for one I haven’t included please tell us why in the comments and leave their link. I’m sharing the results of my extensive research below. Use these comparisons to make your decision.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, HootSuite is the clear winner (based on current popularity among power users),  a slightly less complicated but serious alternative is CoTweet, and I am still very interested in trying out Pluggio (formerly Tweetminer) which has some interesting features the others lack.

Configuring, setting up and learning tools takes valuable time so my best advice is to decide which tool you’re going to use and forget about the others.

Focus on learning to use it effectively and only change if there is a compelling reason. You will accomplish more that way and save yourself a lot of stress. Once you have mastered your first selection you can always learn another and use two as some of the comparisons below suggest.

TWITTER APP REVIEWS:

Michelle Mangen published reviews of  7 Twitter Desktop Apps

  1. Pluggio (formerly TweetMiner) was written by @TommyTRC
  2. TwInbox (for Outlook) written by @mmangen
  3. MyVBO written by @PrimoAssistance
  4. Seesmic desktop written by @AnaLuciaNovak
  5. Hootsuite written by @mmangen
  6. MarketMeSuite written by @AnnEvanston
  7. Tweetdeck written by @LissaDuty

HOOTSUITE to COTWEET COMPARISON

  • Michael D. Hart ~ Compare Hootsuite CoTweet

HOOTSUITE to TWEETDECK COMPARISON

HOOTSUITE to SEESMIC COMPARISON

HOOTSUITE to SOCIAL OOMPH COMPARISON

COMPARE SEESMIC to TWEETDECK

USING HOOTSUITE

USING PLUGGIO

COTWEET REVIEWS

REVIEWS of  TOOLS to MANAGE MULTIPLE TWITTER ACCOUNTS

  • SEOptimize ~ 30 Twitter Search Alternatives and Tools
  • TripWire – 18 Twitter Tools for Scheduling Tweets
  • Inspiration Feed – 18 Twitter Tools for Scheduling Future Tweets (not the same as the post just above in spite of the title)
  • Make Tech Easier ~ 8 Useful Tools to Manage Multiple Twitter Accounts
  • Twitterati – Five Tools to Manage Multiple Twitter Accounts
  • WhoDeanis ~ Tools to Manage Multiple Twitter Accounts
  • Fast Company – How Do Companies Manage Multiple Users on Twitter and Other Social Media Accounts
  • Make Use Of ~ The Six Best Tools to Schedule Twitter Updates
  • SitePoint ~ 6 Twitter Clients You May Not Have Heard Of
  • Debbie Turner ~ HootSuite Review
  • Jimmie Gilmore ~ Browser Based Twitter Apps ~ Short bios on HootSuite, Seesmic, CoTweet, Brizzly, Flock

How To Tweet Quickly and Consistently

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.
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Comments

  1. Yeah…right..!!!!

    I manage multiple accounts, and I’ve been juggling them very awkwardly. Thanks for this excellent tip.

    Reply

  2. I think the most recent update on facebook has made it harder to manage multiple accounts, I also feel that facebook is less ‘business’ orientated and used as a social tool.

    Reply

  3. Lately i have purchased a guide on how to use twitter and the information on this blog is more valuable than that crap ebook.

    Reply

    • Hi Ali,

      For some people it IS necessary to manage multiple Twitter accounts and that is why they must use tools. If you only have two or three you can log into them in separate browsers, but if you have more you need one of the solutions mentioned in this post. CoTweet is the easiest to learn and use.

      Reply

  7. This will be of great use to users with multiple twitter accounts. I hope something similar for Facebook will be published soon.

    Reply

  11. We like TweetAdder3 (desktop app) and TweetBig for managing multiple accounts. TweetBig is in beta, but we really love how comprehensive their service is. Certain things like “unfollow” TweetAdder3 will handle automatically, but TweetBig gives us more control and flexibility over TweetAdder3. Scheduled tweets are also better managed in TweetBig than TweetAdder3. TweetBig also has a friendlier interface and an awesome customer service team, but it comes at a monthly cost, which is why we like TweetAdder3 (one time purchase, lifetime updates). As TweetBig continues to grow, we will have to decide if we are comfortable with the monthly cost, but for now, it is well worth it.

    Reply

  12. thanks i was looking for information on this. it can get nerve racking when you have too many twitter accounts and keeping track of everything

    Reply

  15. I personally use Twiends which helped me grow the number of my followers. I highly recommend it to manage multiple Twitter accounts.

    Reply

  17. I use both Twitter and Facebook but I’ve tried just a couple of twitter accounts and I’m fine with that, I think the key here is knowing how many accounts we can handle. On the other hand, I’m exploring the efficacy of friends list on facebook which I have categorized and its great. At the rate these social networking sites are introducing new updates and developments, its really mind boggling to experiment with all the new features.

    Reply

  19. I see people doing this more and more. There is a lady selling Karma Dolls that is connecting with my site and other bingo portals. I have passed on a number of her twits just because she as @ my account. I love your example of real estate and golf.

    [David, you’re going to be unhappy but bingo = gambling and linking to any gambling related site is a big no-no for non-adult content bloggers. I don’t suppose you have any other non-adult, non-gambling sites that are not bad neighborhoods that you would like to link from this comment and others?]

    Reply

  22. Great content thankyou. Multiple account handling is next on my “get round to list” so this post and the related links are perfect.

    Reply

  23. Ugh, thank you. I find balancing Twitter accounts about as much fun as trying to balance chopsticks on my nose. This is a big help.

    Reply

  25. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Having just got started with twitter this post was just what I was looking for, as I was having difficulty bouncing between the company profile and my own personal one, felt like I had a split personality.

    Reply

  27. Thanks for sharing this roundup of twitter tools, I have been looking at tweetdeck as we are now running several twitter accounts for different ecommerce stores and it does become a handful, I’ll be sure to check out the other recommendations too.
    Tom would love you to read ..Comment on Hello world! by Mr WordPressMy Profile

    Reply

  30. Hi,

    Buzzom.com is also a great tool for Twitter Management. It offers a complete solution for Twitter. You can not only manage multiple accounts and send updates but also find people using various filters, grow your network, analyse your profile and automate RSS Feed.

    Buzzom.com is a completely free tool and received a lot of appreciation.

    Reply

  31. Hi, thanks for sharing this useful information. This is the article I’m looking for. I must say that Web based tools are still far better compare to the tools that are downloadle. Web based tools such as Split Tweet are really proven and reliable.
    .-= Vincenzo @ cobra kai costume´s featured blog ..Kids Cobra Kai Costume =-.

    Reply

  32. I’ve only tried tweetdeck and will have to look at some of the others. This is definitely a great post, with all the info and links this is the perfect starting point for anyone looking to use twitter related tools!
    .-= Pat@snuggie pattern´s featured blog ..Snuggie Pattern for Adults – SHOCKING Photos =-.

    Reply

  33. I used to do social media the wrong way. For me it used to be all about spamming whatever social network I could find until I realized the power behind repeat customers.

    If you actually provide value and help your customers you’ll end up better over the long run, therefore building a social person matching your website is a great idea.
    .-= Matt´s featured blog ..Darmreinigung mit Acai? =-.

    Reply

  35. Wow, fantastic and very comprehensive roundup of great social media management tools. I feel honoured to have my article on Why You Should Be Using Hootsuite included in this list.
    .-= Chad @ Opinions In Social Media´s featured blog ..Twitter By The Numbers =-.

    Reply

  36. Many thanks for the informative post. I much prefer running a single blog where I feel I can post content of real value, instead of just spinning articles ond posting across multiple sites, in the end, devaluing my original content.

    Reply

  37. Nice. This tools you shared are great. I’ll try each and decide which one to stick with. Thanks for the helpful tip.

    Reply

  38. I tried several downloadable tools but they were not as good as i was expecting. Web based tools are easy to access from anywhere. SplitTweet is my favorite one.
    .-= Joel@hgh´s featured blog ..HGH Energizer Review =-.

    Reply

  39. Gail:

    Great post and thanks so much for linking to my post on Pluggio. I heard that TweetDeck now allows for status updates to be scheduled.

    I’ve also been trying out CoTweet with a client of mine. It’s great for people/companies where multiple people have their hands in the same Twitter account. Other than that it does have a scheduling function.
    .-= Michelle Mangen´s featured blog ..Hiring a Virtual Assistant =-.

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle,

      Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. I’ve been using CoTweet for a long while although not as effectively as it could be used. I may use both them and HootSuite once I get up to speed on them. I still think Pluggio could be very interesting though.

      AYC could you send me an email about your rates? I have more work than I can possibly do and more coming at me all the time. I don’t have cashflow to hire you myself but I can possibly sub-contract client work your way.
      .-= growmap´s featured blog ..Freelancers: How to Get More Freelance Work =-.

      Reply

      • Gail – what do you like best about CoTweet? I’m actually all caught up on my work today – the first time in for-evah and have been playing around at getting Google Chrome set up (as @extremejohn and a few others have been telling me to do it).

        Is the “AYC send your rates” comment directed to me? (if so, what does AYC stand for?) LOL

        Reply

        • Hi Michelle,

          Co-Tweet is easier to learn and use than the others. Hootsuite is probably more powerful but when you want to quickly schedule posts CoTweet is fast and simple.

          Sorry about the unfamiliar abbreviation. AYC = at your convenience. Yes, it was asking about ratest to send you business.
          .-= growmap´s featured blog ..WordPress WhiteList BlackList Plugin Wanted =-.

          Reply

  40. Social media is becoming the new way to personally market yourself. What you say about focusing your attention to one blog rather than spreading yourself too thin is true. With all the social media outlets like twitter etc, time becomes an important factor as well. To little time to much to blog about!!

    Reply

  41. I have tried a few different twitter applications but have not found one that gives me all of the tools I need in one, TweetDeck is the current tool used. What will happend to these applications if Twitter decides to limit access and create their own applications as they have indicated?

    Reply

    • Hi Chris,

      Twitter makes changes all the time and the applications adapt and try to negotiate with them. The only thing Twitter has really done so far is lean on them to make sure we can’t efficiently unfollow inactive Twitter users.
      .-= growmap´s featured blog ..Local Search Directory Listings =-.

      Reply

  42. Hey Gail, Great post and thanks for including my real estate sites. I use Tweetdeck but from reading your post I think I am going to have to try Hootsuite.

    I would also recommend a website many never heard of called myvbo it is a virtual online business platform where you can integrate twitter(manage multiple accounts), quickbooks, and online shopping where you can find the lowest price on products. Great for business or managers who do online purchasing.
    .-= Danny @ Fl Vacation Rentals´s last blog ..Tavernier Florida Keys 107 =-.

    Reply

  43. Right now I only have one twitter account, but I can see the benefit of having multiple accounts, if they are managed well. I really like the beginning of your post where you talk about placing all of your time and energy into growing a single blog.

    In the past, I had affiliate campaigns in a variety of niches. The sites performed ok, but now that I am focusing all of my efforts on growing a “real business” I have seen far better results!
    .-= Matthew Lord@Atlanta Marketing Consultant´s last blog ..Finding the Right Atlanta Marketing Consultant =-.

    Reply

  45. I don’t own multiple account, so, I never feel a need of this type of management tool but what I like is the way you represent this article. I think this blog going to be added in my daily visiting list.

    Reply

  46. Great and awesome roundup of twitter tool information and comparisons, this is indeed a unique post, my choice has always been Hootsuite.
    Thanks for the post.

    Reply

  47. Will try twidec, and others, thanks for listing
    .-= Calvin Miller@Forex Market´s last blog ..Commodities Trading, Crude Oil Futures Still Under Pressure =-.

    Reply

  48. Timely article for us. We just entered the world of multiple twitter accounts using different twitter accounts for niche marketing.
    .-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Tri Cities Washington Cold Winter Nights Makes For Abundant Springtime Babies =-.

    Reply

  49. I have used Hootsuite for a long time. In my eyes, Hootsuite is the best tool to help us manage multiple Twitter accounts at the same time.
    .-= Calking CC@ online business guide´s last blog ..Home Based Business – Your Another Income Source =-.

    Reply

  50. Multiple accounts is a bit beyond me at the moment, but I have to say that I ventured into Pluggio and have found it to be a great tool. Thanks for all the information in your post.

    [Edited by GrowMap to add beneficial anchor text for your Web site.]

    .-= Ian´s last blog ..Baby Sign for Puppy – A Dad’s Story =-.

    Reply

  51. I have to agree with Lena & Dima, Pluggio is a fantastic tool. Hopefully it is going to save me some time.

    Stick with what you are passionate about and the rest will follow.
    .-= John@Maryland Real Estate´s last blog ..Anne Arundel County Real Estate =-.

    Reply

    • Hi John,

      Although I’m going to primarily use HootSuite I may dabble with Pluggio too eventually. Maybe you can write a nice guest post about how you use Pluggio in your real estate business?

      I collaborate with some other real estate bloggers. Let me know if you’d like to join us for mutual benefit.
      .-= growmap´s last blog ..Local Search Directory Listings =-.

      Reply

  52. Hey! Thanks so much for including my article in your list- I’m flattered and glad it was useful.
    Cheers!
    .-= Michael Hart´s last blog ..10 Ways To Market Your Business With Social Media =-.

    Reply

    • Welcome to GrowMap, Michael,

      Yours was one of the best comparisons I found which accounts for it being featured first. I almost linked to another similar comparison post even though I hadn’t mentioned the other solution you reviewed.

      I hope you’ll check out some of the other content here. This post is fairly representative of the kind of in-depth research and comprehensive conclusions I write here.

      Check out the post I’ve featured in CommentLuv in this reply. It contains information on how you can turn your comments into valuable dofollow anchor text links to improve your search engine positions and generate new traffic from blogs.
      .-= growmap´s last blog ..DoFollow CommentLuv KeywordLuv Community =-.

      Reply

  53. Hi,
    Would like to say thank you for introducing Pluggio to us (we fell in love with it, very powerful tool – can save lots of time).

    And well pointed that “you will do better to focus on growing one blog consistently than you will spreading yourself across many”. Many people know “kill two birds with one stone” and many try to do just that – work on a couple (or more) of sites at the same time. But this way they reduce the amount of their efforts that they can use on each, hence reduce a chance of success.
    L&D
    .-= Lena & Dima @How to start an Internet business´s last undefined ..Response cached until Thu 20 @ 21:11 GMT (Refreshes in 23.93 Hours) =-.

    Reply

    • Welcome Lima & Dena,

      I’d love to have guest posts on how businesses are using Pluggio. Maybe you’d like to write one once you’ve used it for a while?

      I totally agree that the more we divide our time the harder it is to succeed (and although you can succeed doing multiple things it WILL take longer than if you focus on one at a time).

      While I knew this post was going to be a comparison I could not bring myself not to share that whenever possible we not try to manage any more niches than absolutely necessary to attain our goals. One done very well beats any number done inconsistently.
      .-= growmap´s last blog ..Affiliate Tips Tuesday: Three Ethical Affiliate Marketing Experts I Trust =-.

      Reply

  54. Now that is a great collection of comparisons and information on running multiple twitters, I use TweetDeck for mine and sometimes even that can get a bit hectic 😉
    .-= Karen @ Blazing Minds´s last blog ..Are We Spending To Much Time On The Internet? =-.

    Reply

  55. Now THIS is what I was looking for when I blogged about wanting comparisons; thanks this is awesome!

    Feel free to leave the link to this post, on this post in the comments –
    .-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..10 Social Share Sites Chosen – Do You Agree? =-.

    Reply

  56. Great compendium of twitter tools – I haven’t gotten into twitter like I should – and part of the reason is like you said it takes so much time to manage multiple sites and social networks – I need to have 10 clones of myself to get everything done. (and that might not be enough) 🙂
    .-= Chris@Earth Friendly Goodies´s last blog ..BPA Free Dishes for Kids – Unbreakable and Tough as Nails =-.

    Reply

    • Welcome Chris,

      Isn’t that the truth! I’m not sure ten would be enough; might take 20 or more even with tools. I hope you’ll subscribe because I have some great posts coming up on how to do Social Networking in a more targeted, efficient manner.
      .-= growmap´s last blog ..Support Small Businesses =-.

      Reply

  57. Hi Gail, I have only just started using twitter regularly to be honest, I cannot imagine using more than 1 account right now when I am a twit using just 1 account, but I have book marked your so when the time comes in the future for me to use more than 1 account and will be more than well prepared thanks to your post, I will take a look at hootsuite after reading the link to the review you posted it does look like a powerful tool to use alongside twitter, thanks again Sally 🙂
    .-= Sally´s last blog ..Alex Jeffreys Oil Rig Blog Hopping Made Easy =-.

    Reply

  58. I have tried several tools for twitter, but nothing comes closer to hootsuite. They are simply the best. Facebook is integration is a great feature and I have almost forgot the last time I have logged in to facebook or twitter. I directly go to hootsuite and post content simultaneously to both of them. Such an incredible find. All of the above comparisons listed by you are solid evidences of what hootsuite is capable of and why its a clear winner. Besides, I never knew there were this much of twitter tools 😀 Thanks for the information. Will just check out other tools as well.

    Reply

  59. Hi Gail,

    I’m bookmarking this post for future reference as it has great resources and comparisons listed.

    I still wonder how people can have and properly maintain and manage multiple twitter accounts when I can barely handle one.

    I like your view that it may be better to focus on fewer blogs rather than many.

    Vance
    .-= Vance@Email List Building´s last blog ..Email List Building Ebook, How To Build Email List In Any Market =-.

    Reply

    • Hi Vance,

      Anyone who has ever tried to manage more than one blog and associated Twitter accounts plus other Social Networking accounts will know why this post started out the way it did. I considered making it more than one post but decided it was too important to share that focusing on ONE if you can is much better no matter what tool you use!

      Even if you only have one it still makes sense to use at least one of these tools. Now you know why my posts take so long to write: I share my research so others don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

      If you ever feel like doing an Intro to List Building or email marketing type guest post here let me know. Most bloggers are far behind when it comes to list building, me included.
      .-= growmap´s last blog ..Support Small Businesses =-.

      Reply

  60. Wow… this is probably one of the most comprehensive roundups of comparisons and in-depth articles analyzing the top Twitter management tools out there. This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to decide between one platform or the other.

    My choice as always HootSuite – thanks for linking to my HootSuite reivew. I think that HootSuite gives you a myriad of options to manage multiple accounts and manage valuable keyword searches, reputation monitoring searches, etc.
    .-= Kristi@Blogging Tips´s last blog ..6 Qualities of Successful Bloggers =-.

    Reply

    • I agree have not came across a site which has so much stuff on twitter tools before. Did not know about hootsuite thanks.
      Thanks again from a woodworking guy.

      .-= darren´s featured blog ..Woodworking Computer Desk =-.

      Reply

  61. Now I am not totally sure about the new content thing and that you need that to succeed. I have seen very successfull sites with static content but fresh links. The whole fresh content deal seems more like a myth to me though it ofcourse attracts readers.

    I exactly had that problem when starting out. To many projects at the same time nothing works cause you can’t focus. When I would totally start over I would only do one single site and work on it till it makes money.

    Currently I am struggling a little with all the social media stuff. With my main site it is fine but my other sites are left behind in this regard.
    .-= Alex@Zahnbleaching´s last blog ..Braun Oral-B Sonic Complete DLX – Testbericht =-.

    Reply

  62. The way I’m using my Gmail address for multiple accounts is to add “+someword” to the username part. Gmail ignores the “+” and what follows, but it looks different to Twitter. I don’t know how long that will be true.

    I’ve used Seesmic and Tweetdeck, but have long felt HootSuite was superior. It has surprised me that, up to now, it has not received the positive reviews it deserves.

    Reply

  63. Great post, this can be a very useful tool for tweeple. But I have a question: is it possible for anyone to associate the same email address with multiple Twitter accounts? I have heard about users using a simple workaround that will let you use the same email address with all your Twitter accounts; the only condition is that you should be using a Gmail email address. Could you throw some light on this please?

    Reply

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