A Twitter chat is an incredibly useful tool. It gives your business the opportunity to personally connect with your customers, actively engage your audience, and promote your brand in a unique way. Though hosting a Twitter chat can be beneficial, it can also be a bit overwhelming. Twitter chats are fast paced and intense – but there are a few key ways to prepare and endure so your Twitter chat is the best it can be.
Before
A Twitter chat surrounds one unique hashtag and is a public conversation. This means that you need to find a great hashtag to use. So, you need to do your research. Engage in other chats within your industry and see what other hashtags are being used, how other businesses are engaging followers, and what kinds of questions are being asked. Make sure you’ve specified who your audience is and who will be a part of the discussion. Once you’ve seen what’s out there and narrowed down a specific topic for your chat, it’s crucial that you select the right hashtag. Search Twitter to find a unique hashtag that is short, easy to remember, and easy for followers to type out. After picking the perfect hashtag, be sure to promote your Twitter chat. Write a blog post about it and share the details of the chat on your other social channels. Get followers excited about seeing the chat live and engaging in the conversation. It’s also important that you develop a list of prepared questions to have with you during the chat. Some hosts even prefer to lay out a specific script for the entire chat. Do whatever level of written preparation you feel most comfortable with, but I would suggest to always over-prepare.
During
Twitter chats are live, which means the pressure in the moment is high. But, if you’ve followed the above step and prepared thoroughly, the engagement should be fun! Though you should have a script and list of prepared questions, don’t be afraid to follow the flow of conversation. Be present and legitimately engaged rather than overly focused on pushing through your planned content. Retweet consistently throughout the chat, rewarding those who engage. Show followers that you are really passionate about what you’re chatting about. Create a comfortable, supportive, and engaging environment that followers will be excited to come back to.
After
You’ve completed a Twitter chat – congratulations! But you’re not done yet. There are a few more loose ends to tie up in order to make your Twitter chat a success. Even though the live chat is over, it’s important that you monitor the lasting discussion. Followers might be interested in continuing the conversation and you need to continue to be engaged. Check up on your hashtag and see what new ideas are being presented. It’s also a good idea to post a Twitter chat summary that highlights the best tweets from the chat. This is a great tool to summarize the chat to followers who missed the live event and also for your business to look back on and easily review your chat topics. Hosting a successful Twitter chat is hard work, but the engagement and connection that your business will gain is definitely worth the effort. Looking for more help connecting with your Twitter community? Contact SocialNicole today! Photo credit
