Can something as simple as a list of names help you build your brand? Many of the social media marketing ilk think so. In Fall 2009, Twitter introduced Twitter Lists, a feature which allows users to organize other Twitter users into groups.

Robert Scoble, a high-profile Web 2.0 leader called the idea brilliant and predicted directories based on number of followers as "dead." A few of Scoble's resource-rich lists track tech-startups, iphone and web-hosting-and-cloud companies.

Ryan Paugh, Co-Founder & Director of Community, Brazen Careerist, Inc., a career networking community, likes what lists can do to help increase awareness of his company's brand. “Twitter Lists are a great way to bring like-minded people together. If a brand wants to create a community around their product then a Twitter List is a great way to help make that happen.”

For @BrazenCareerist, he created two lists: Brazen-Careerists-Members, an opt-in list of community members, and Team-Brazen-Careerist, Brazen's employee directory.

Paugh said, “We want our Twitter Lists to be an extension of what our brand offers, which is the opportunity to build a network.”

As founder of SmartCollegeVisit, my goal is to become the go-to source for information related to planning college visits. It's an ambitious goal in a highly competitive market. I need every resource I can create or access to help me promote my company. The Twitter Lists on @collegevisit provide streaming information related to admissions and news on campuses direct from the schools. My company is new and lists are evolving. Currently, they represent a few of the target areas related to a student's college search: the top engineering schools, women's colleges, and the Seven Sisters. Other lists are being developed.

In addition to helping build a company's brand, there are other benefits to lists:

Want to follow the competition but not let them know? Create a Twitter List of competitors and make the list private. Anyone using Twitter can be added to a list. There's no need to follow someone in order to add them to a list.

Want to showcase your clients? Put them on a list. A Twitter account may have up to 20 lists and each list can store 500 names.

Want to track trends and industry news? Make a list or follow a list someone else has already created.

Marketing, trending, tracking...all elements of brand management can be Twitterfied with a simple list. "Make a Twitter List" can be put on a "to do" list today.

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Z. Kelly Queijo is the founder of SmartCollegeVisit and a frequent contributor to Handshake 2.0. You're invited to follow SmartCollegeVisit on Twitter, @collegevisit.