When it comes to marketing your business, a Twitter Chat is a great way to gain exposure while positioning yourself as a leader in your field. A win/win situation if you ask us. Here, we’ve compiled some steps to make your Twitter Chat a smashing success.
Participate in Other Chats
Familiarize yourself with how others in your industry are running their chats. Look through your newsfeed or relevant hashtags to determine when chats are running. Quietly sneak in the back row and observe interaction between chat participants and pay attention to how the host engages with his audience. Don’t be afraid to participate, answer questions and engage with others; you’ll gain priceless insight from these interactions.
Determine Your Objective
Figure out who your target audience is. Find out what days and times are ideal for them and then schedule around that. Choose a topic that is relevant to your audience and by all means, get creative. Don’t keep the focus wholly on your business, but make it more about community and building relationships with chat attendees. That’s what social media is about, isn’t it? When Twitter chat attendees feel they are getting value and they are cared about, they are much more likely to want to buy from you.
Choose a Hashtag
It may go without saying, but you want users to know upfront that this tag is for a Twitter Chat, so a good option is to create a chat hashtag that ends in “chat.” Make sure the hashtag fits both your brand and the theme of the chat.
#GreenBeautyChat
#RelationshipChat
#BizCoachChat
Research other chats to ensure the hashtag is not already in use or that it’s not a Twitter username. It may be a good idea to put pen to paper on this one and experiment with a few ideas before choosing the first that comes to mind.
When it comes to setting up a date and time for your chat, try to avoid scheduling it when other popular chats are running. After researching the times of other chats, you should be able to hone in on a specific time frame that still works with your audience. When you’ve found it, promote it through every social media channel you have access to: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and of course, your company website or blog. Invite industry leaders and encourage retweets of your invitation: remember, the more the merrier. Now that you’ve sat in on a few chats, found the perfect hashtag, and have been promoting like crazy, you’ll need to create a calendar of topics. Decide on content that goes with your overall theme and then write about ten questions that will get your audience engaged. Shy away from asking questions that prompt “yes” or “no” responses, and try to spark discussions that are of value to both your company and the audience members. Spread out each question 6 to 8 minutes apart to give the community ample time for discussion. Have a loose script for the chat in place before it begins. For the smoothest sailing, utilize a tool like TweetChat. The service automatically adds the chat hashtag to your responses and creates a running tab of the chat conversation. Keep all attendees tweeting by asking follow-up questions and making comments. Recognize participants by thanking them during and at the end of the chat, and inviting them to the next session. It’s a two way street: a loyal following comes from engagement on both sides, so make sure you’re engaging as much as possible. Hosting a Twitter Chat can not only be instrumental to racking up more exposure for your company, but it also can introduce you to new prospects, increase your credibility in your industry, and build community with your targeted audience. Once you learn the ropes, the sky is the limit. Or you can spend time on your own expertise, and let us create, promote, and run your Twitter Chat for you – highlighting your brilliance. Get more info on managed Twitter Chats. Set Up and Promote
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