TweetChats are sweeping the nation. You thought you were up to snuff on your marketing trends? As you know, it’s a dynamic and evergreen industry, changing every day to keep up with the demand of the most social generation yet. So, while Twitter and Tweets changed the game for both individuals and companies, TweetChats are the next big thing. TweetChats for those unfamiliar are live twitter events. They’re generally moderated, and they’re usually focused on a single topic. Think of it like a chat room, using tweets and hashtags.
Watching tonight’s Wentworth Prison? A TweetChat on the same subject reveals real-time commentary from fans who are tuning in to contribute to the conversation. Businesses are sitting up to take notice. Why? Because the number of attendees and participants that are turning out are astounding. Some marketing tactics have the sticky factor, and TweetChat conversations are definitely one of them. What better way to cull feedback and input from your market?
Read on for five tips that businesses can use to properly leverage TweetChats as an engagement tool.
1. Share the Stories of Your Brand
The key here is to pick an engaging topic and a succinct hashtag for your TweetChat. There are three big criteria here: what’s relevant in your industry right now, what’s related to your brand or product and what’s enticing for your market? Think of yourself, or whoever is hosting the TweetChat, as the persona, the voice behind your brand. When your consumer base knows that they’re connecting with a real-live person, they’ll be far more likely to be honest and authentic with you. So, have a personality! Be funny and fresh, if that supports your product. Be more serious and thoughtful, if that helps tell your tale in a more impactful way. There’s no right answer here. If you’re looking for validation, talk to your teammates and to your employees. How do they see the brand? Even better question, how do they want the brand to be seen?
2. Connect Quickly and Honestly with Your Consumers
Real-time communication is key here. You don’t want the conversation to be one-sided. You don’t want to be chiming in, every two seconds, with canned content that was obviously pre-meditated. For every question that a participant asks you, make sure that you’re asking questions right back. In this case, it’s always better to be interested than interesting. The underlying thread with each of these recommendations is a need for honesty. We all know how quickly the internet will call-out mistakes; but when you do your homework, this should not be something that you’ll need to worry about.
3. Create Industry Authority
Bonus points if you bring in third-party experts, who also help to tell the story of your brand. Maybe they’re a power-customer, someone who has engaged with your brand for an extended time. Maybe it’s an industry expert, who can help share the benefits of your brand. Cross-promotional TweetChats are also worth exploring. These occur when you partner with another brand, to support each other and host a TweetChat. Just make sure that you’ve aligned in advance, that you’re not selling competing products, and that you have a plan in place for who is communicating to whom.
4. Expand Your Network with Your Customers and Your Competitors
Here’s the great thing about TweetChats. The reach is astronomical and growing with every participant that you have. Sally Seashore may be chatting away about an upcoming wine festival, when her cousin Wanda Wine, sees her posts in her feed. Wanda Wine is automatically intrigued, and likely to chat out if not the brand, at least the TweetChat. Think of TweetChats as a hook to bait a new prospect.
5. Remain “in the Know” about Your Market
As mentioned above, the Internet is a fickle friend. She’s quick to catch on to the smallest mistake, but not nearly as likely to mention success. That’s why homework is absolutely essential before hosting a TweetChat. You’re like a celebrity being interviewed, while being filmed. There is twice as much scrutiny. And, that whole screengrab thing. But industry homework is a building block for any successful social strategy, so just make sure that you’re reading applicable sites and publications, and learning, every day.
TweetChats are an evolving tool, and there is no doubt that they will continue to grow and change. As companies across different markets are noticing, tools that are important one day, are passé the next. We may look forwards a hundred years to when holograms are integrated for imagery and any sort of traditional digital marketing is a thing of the past. You can depend on Marketing.com.au for applicable articles and advice, which support dynamic and engaging strategies to bolster your business’ ROI.
To read more about Twitter and Social Media on Marketing.com.au, check out these articles:
- Top 10 Twitter Tools to Turbo-Charge Your Tweets
- How to Build Profitable Business Using Social Media and Content Marketing
- 5 Things Your Business Could Be Doing Better on Social Media
- The Definitive Content Marketing Checklist to Drive Leads
- How to Create a Great Content Marketing Strategy
Patrick O’Doherty
Latest posts by Patrick O’Doherty (see all)
- TweetChats for Business - October 16, 2017
