Millions of people use Twitter for various reasons. Perhaps you use the micro-blogging site to read about the latest news (and react to it) or to follow your favorite celebrity. It could be you rely on Twitter as a promotional tool for a product or company you represent. Maybe you signed up for a free Twitter account years ago and still haven't figured out a reason to use it.

IFTTT

If you're looking to jumpstart or improve your Twitter presence and usage, you've come to the right place. Here's some great ways IFTTT can make you a better and more frequent Twitter user, both for your personal life and business.

What is IFTTT?

Before getting started, let's summarize what IFTTT, or "If This Then That" can do. The free service allows you to create chains of statements, called "recipes," which are triggered based on changes to other Web services such as Twitter or Facebook. Available on the web and through apps, IFTTT works with many of the most popular smart products on the market including ones from Fitbit, Philips, Withings, and more.

For more on IFTTT and how to set it up, take a look at our IFTTT guide.

Now let's find some of the most beneficial IFTTT Twitter recipes.

Grow Your Twitter Footprint

Whether you use Twitter for business or personal use, building your list of followers is always a good idea. The more followers you have, the more contacts that will hear your voice.

One of the easiest ways to gain Twitter followers is to post links to online content that you enjoy or have created. With IFTTT, you can have these links displayed automatically.

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Pocket is one of the most popular reading list applications available. Available on multiple platforms, the service allows you to keep track of articles you enjoy or want to read later.

A recipe such as "Automatically Tweet new favorites in Pocket" will give your Twitter followers access to the stories you find most beneficial, and the recipe "When you like a Tweet, automatically save the link from it to your Pocket account" means you can keep track of the articles for the future.

Do you enjoy Medium or YouTube? Try "Tweet Medium stories that you recommend" or "Share videos you like on YouTube to Twitter." This keeps your Twitter feed interesting.

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There's a reason you follow people on Twitter. Whether you genuinely like someone or find their tweets bizarre, spread the word. Great IFTTT recipes for this purpose include "Retweets text of new tweets by the @user of your choice" and "If new tweet including retweets, then create a photo post on your Tumblr blog."

If you create online content yourself, consider "Tweet my WordPress blog posts" and "Share new YouTube uploads on Twitter."

Build Your Business on Twitter

Many folks use Twitter for business. Whether you're the CEO or the marketing guru, there are many IFTTT recipes to help you get the job done. The key here is to zero in on topics that are relevant to your business, which are also useful to your Twitter users.

"Build a Twitter list from a specific hashtag" allows you to keep track of other Twitter users who are discussing a topic of interest. Additionally, "Automatically add users who @mention you to a Twitter list" serves as an excellent way to know who has been discussing you over time. Use both of these lists when drafting new marketing plans.

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Does your business primarily serve a local area? Use "Get an email digest of Tweets from a specific area."

Do you use LinkedIn a lot? Try "Tweets shared on LinkedIn" or "Crosspost your tweets with hashtag #in to LinkedIn."

Slack is one of the fastest growing online business tools. It allows business colleagues to connect from anywhere in the world. To help motivate these contacts, consider "Send live updates from Twitter to a Slack channel." This recipe is an excellent way to inform associates when discussions related to your business pop up on Twitter.

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Other Slack-related IFTTT recipes worth considering include Have Twitter mentions automatically posted in SlackNotify of new Twitter followers in Slack, and Use Twitter Advanced Search to post to Slack Channel.

Business etiquette requires that you send thank you notes in particular situations. This time-honored practice is easy to extend on Twitter. "Add Twitter @mentions to Buffer as #FF "thank you" tweets," "Thank someone for following you on Twitter! with a tweet and an Image," and "Thank new Twitter followers!" lets you stick to the social norms, automatically. Be careful with these, though, as they could seem out of place if you were mentioned negatively.

Keep Track of What You Like on Twitter

The online world is vast. When combined with the hassles of everyday life, it's easy to miss things online. Rather than missing out, play catch-up with IFTTT recipes.

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Catalog your days with "Automatically save every Tweet you send to a Google spreadsheet" and "Save your liked (favorited) tweets in Pocket!"

Want to see what someone has been discussing on Twitter? Use "New tweet by specific user? Send me an email."

More IFTTT Twitter Automation Recipes

Are you looking for more ways to automate your Twitter account using IFTTT? The following recipes don't fall into any one category, but could prove beneficial to you nonetheless:

"Tweet when a new Pin is added to your board" is a nice way to connect with Pinterest users who also have an online presence on Twitter.

"Share new links you post on Facebook to Twitter" offers an easy way to post information on both social networks.

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"Nearly home? Direct Message the person who should know" alerts your loved ones that you're almost home via Twitter.

Finally, "Tweet the final scores for your favorite sports team" offers a summary of how your team did, for better or worst.

Twitter and IFTTT work very well together for both business and personal use. When combined, these services help you gain easier access to the people you want. They also make you better informed on the topics and products that interest you the most.

How do you automate Twitter? Do you use IFTTT or some other app? What are your favorite IFTTT recipes for Twitter? Tell us!