Twitter

Experts Share Why They Love Twitter Chats and Why You Should, Too!

August 7, 2014 by Deborah Anderson

Twitter Chats

Clearly, Twitter Chats excite me. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be providing Twitter Chat training to corporations and promoting my own Twitter Chat, the #SocialCafe Twitter Chat on Tuesday nights (6p PST/PDT; 9p EST/EDT).

I was curious if I was the only one out there and if others also found Twitter Chats fun, exciting, and rewarding. So, I decided to use Ann Smarty’s new (one month old) MyBlogU system to do a group interview. After all, it seems fitting that I use her system after I had suggested… correction, insisted… that Ann start her own Twitter Chat for branding purposes and after a couple months of suggesting, she did! (And, how many years ago was that now?!) Out came the #MyBlogGuest Twitter Chat, as well as how-to articles throughout the ‘net, like this one on Social Media Examiner.

So, coming full circle, let’s ask the experts why they enjoy Twitter Chats and maybe this will help you to decide whether it is a good fit for you to participate, how often to participate, and whether you should start your own.

Questions we’ve been discussing:

What makes a Twitter Chat irresistible, causing you to participate every time (i.e. 5 qualities that make the ultimate chat).

A. Don Sturgill (Writer)

Things I most like about Twitter Chats:

Chats are an excellent way to meet others who have a common interest (i.e. excellent for networking)
Chats can help build your Twitter presence by gaining and adding followers
Twitter Chats are a free and excellent means of gathering (learning) state-of-the-art information
Leading a Chat is a powerful means of getting established as an authority in your niche
Chats allow me to ask questions directly to those who may otherwise be difficult to reach

My only regret about Chats is that my schedule doesn’t allow me to attend more of them. The new #myblogu chat is bound to be a blockbuster.

A. Alan K’necht (Partner: Social & Analytics)

I host #SocialChat Monday’s at 9pm. After hosting 170+ #SocialChats and participating in many others I’ve come to the following conclusion what makes the ultimate chat

1. Hosts that create an effective form to faciliate the exchange views, observation and knowledge with peers

2. A chat that frequently brings in experts on a subject and where that expert is asked challenging questions.

3. Chat’s that are consistent in scheduling and don’t just happen soratically

4. A chat where great personalities come back on a regular basis.

5. A chat with hosts, that welcome newcommers and encourage them to participate.

6. A chat where all participants can ask additional questions to the group or the featured guest.

A. tim capper (useful Info)

Hi, I dont really use twitter but read this the other day and it may be useful to you. It is about books being serialised in tweets, so this could be a handy example of the nature and exolution of twitter for you.

Hope it helps and good luck

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28268869

A. Ann Smarty (Founder)

Here are things that draw me back to Twitter chats:

Reminders 🙂 Yep, reminding past participants is so essential! People are busy! If I feel Twitter chats hosts care about me participating, I cannot usually resists!
New featured guests every time: I have found this to be a great connection discovery tool. When there’s a featured guest on a Twitter chat, I always learn something new!
Just natural attraction.. Sometimes you just cannot explain it: You love some communities or groups and you don’t get others. Sometimes the chats just stick!

A. Greg Shuey (COO)

They are great for meeting new people in a specific industry.

they are great for building your credibility as a thought leader in a specific industry.

They are super great for getting mentions and links back tontine blog content.

And that’s all I can think of. Each of these have been critical for me, that is why we founded #seochat. Ash Buckles, Dan Patterson and I saw and opportunity, ran with it, and but paid off immensely.

A. Sourav Saha (Web Consultant at Webaholic)

The reason why I love Twitter chat so much because it helps me and my business in many ways.

1. First and foremost it helps you to build relationships with new people, influencers, and probable customers and also builds your personal brand. When you tweet out a helpful information it might get retweeted by attendees which results as exposer to more people and you might get noticed by an influencer 🙂

2. Depending upon how you tackle problems/issues coming up in a twitter chat it shows your in-depth knowledge on that specific topic and builds authority. This might result in adding some clients in your box who were looking for experts in that area.

3. And if you are a business and hosting a twitter chat it surely helps you to promote your brand and getting in front of more probable customers.

A. Philtrate (Entrepreneur)

People I know and respect participating
The probability of learning and acquiring new ideas and aproaches
Where I am confident that the atmosphere will be supportive and positive
A time that works for me. I am in Ireland and evening US time is too late for Europeans
The possibility of developing relationships that go beyond Twitter

A. JacobkCurtis (Digital Marketing Strategist)

The Host – One of the most important aspects of an irristible Twitter Chat is the person moderating it. Without an experienced host guiding the conversation, whether its an open discussing or interview, a Twitter chat can tangent and digress from its main goal and become irrelevant off-topic noise.

The Members – Twitter chats not only introduce you to new “highly relevant” users who you can connect with, but can also be strategically used to build (personal)brand awareness with influencers. For example, If there’s an influencer you are trying to get the attention of for an opportunity or partnership, check to see what Twitter chats they participate in. Or if they’re guest interviewed on a specific Twitter chat, you better make sure you’re there engaging. Understanding that you can connect with these influencers in real-time during a Twitter chat is a powerful method for building rapport outside of traditional outreach methods.

Optimized Hashtag – Another factor of an irresistible Twitter chat is the hashtag associated with it. Is it easily memorable? Is it short enough to still leave room for chatter? Would I mind my followers seeing that I’m participating in the chat as it will show their feed? Is the hashtag recognizable, (i.e. #CEOchat) and encourages others to check it out or participate? Or is it too ambiguous, (i.e. #CoolChat).

Reminders and Representation – The majority of popular Twitter chats tend to have a representation outside of Twitter. For example, #MediaChat is a weekly Twitter chat every Thurs at 10pm EST featuring guests on social and online media, new apps and anything media related and is hosted by @kilby76. Along with having a specific Twitter handle @MediaChat, there’s also a #MediaChat Facebook group and Google+ community that are used to keep people up-to-date on each week’s guest or topic. Having other outlets for participants to elaborate on ideas or connect with others in-between Twitter chats is always a good idea!

Recaps and Transcripts – The frequency of Twitter chats vary widely, with most being held weekly while others happening just once a month. While it’s unlikely users can commit to being there for each Twitter chat they participate in, it’s the chats that provide a transcript or recap of what was discussed or missed that are really irresistible. With transcripts or recaps, users can still benefit from key takeaways even though they weren’t there. Transcripts also helps with keeping participants engaged and retained, because they know if they miss a chat, there’s a resource available for them to catch up and attend the next round.

A. Sandy (Writer and IT Project Manager)

I joined my first Twitter Chat today which happened to be for MBU and can say that I really enjoyed it! Why?….

First, it was an upbeat environment. Everyone who joined seemed to be having fun – at least that is the impression I got from watching the interactions. It’s always great to be a part of a group that is encouraging, respectful, and enjoyable to “be around”.

Second, being able to network with new people is always a plus! I started following others who joined and gained followers as well from the interactions. Making connections is a huge reason for social media networking to begin with!

Third, I believe it is a great display of support. For any Twitter Chat, attendance is an obvious show of interest for the topic and the desire to be a part of something.

There you have it. The experts’ opinions on why Twitter Chats are so helpful (possibly even essential) in your social media strategy. So, join us at our next Twitter Chat this coming Tuesday –> 9p EST/EDT with hashtag #SocialCafe and let’s reap those benefits, shall we?

A Visual Way to Understand that Tweet

July 19, 2014 by Guest Author

Are you a big fan of Twitter? Of course you are, everyone is. And anyone who says they aren't are just fighting the urge. Twitter has become one of the most popular internet phenomenons of all time. As far as social media goes, this microblogging network is something innovative and interesting that has opened communications up in a way that nothing else ever has.

But it is far more than a place to post your every minor thought in 160 characters or less. It is actually a versatile tool with many (many, many, many!) features for you to use…

But how to explain it to a social media newbie so that it made sense? From what I hear from my parents, Twitter doesn't make any sense at all! "So should I just publish what I am doing from time to time while making sure it's less than 140 characters? WHY???"

This article is a good start to explain Twitter: How to Explain Twitter to a Non-Social-Media Person

To make your explanation more visual, consider some visuals like this infographic.

5 Steps To Increase Engagement On Twitter

April 27, 2013 by Guest Author

When it comes to social media, Twitter is one network that a lot of people just don’t get. If you’re not getting the type of reaction you hope for on Twitter, there is a good chance you need to change your approach. For example, did you know that you can nearly double your engagement rate on Twitter by including an image with your Tweet?

Let’s look at some other ways to increase engagement on Twitter:

Use Hashtags: When you use Hashtags with your posts like keywords, it makes it easier for people to find the posts you are making. It also increases engagement because the people who see your tweets will already be interested in those topics that they chose to follow/search the hashtags for.

Don’t Overdo Your Hashtags: While hashtags are useful, research has also shown that you can overdo it. 2-3 hashtags per tweet is sufficient. Research has actually shown that tweets with one or two hashtags have a higher engagement rate than those with three or more hashtags. So pick your best one or two and go with that. Posts with tons of hashtags are seen as spammy and get little to no engagement.

Retweet Others: Retweeting others is a great way to increase engagement. It also shows that you are actually using your Twitter account and not just automating everything. When you see a post that you think your readers will like, go ahead and retweet it from your account. The users you retweet will also see this and are more likely to return the favor. You can retweet people you are not following as long as they have public feeds.

Tweet on the Weekend: Research has also shown that Twitter has higher engagement rates on the weekend but few businesses tweet on Saturday and Sunday. If you get in there and start tweeting on the weekends, there’s a good chance you’re going to see this increase in engagement as well.

Keep it Short and Sweet: Finally, don’t go for long tweets. Short and sweet is the best approach and it means more people will retweet or reply. Remember they are scanning down their feed quickly and shorter posts that are to the point are much more likely to be read.

You can buy Twitter followers but keep in mind that this will not increase your engagement. There is no guarantee that these followers will actually be interested in what you tweet about or want to engage with your posts.

Tweeting For Aspiring Artists: Tips From Social Media Experts

March 16, 2013 by News Spotter

Just a couple of decades ago becoming a well-known artist presented a multitude of hurdles that very few could overcome. A connected planet has opened the doors for aspiring artists to enter the scene with far more ease increasing the possibility of getting discovered and securing the contract of their dreams. If you have artistic aspirations you no longer have to patiently wait for an audition or pray that a talent scout will discover you as you play your very own musical creations with your old electric guitar at the local bar. You my friend are the owner of your destiny and the captain of your ship. With a little time, some imagination and a great deal of passion you can learn to master social media and become the king or queen of your very own kingdom of fans. Want to know how? Here are a few no-fail tips from social media professionals that have managed to launch a few unknowns into stardom.

All The Channels-All The Time

While some social media tools of dissemination are way better than others it is super important that you cover all your bases. Having a Twitter account without a website or a Facebook profile associated to it is a mistake that will kill you. If you are a musical artist you must go beyond websites and engage in Youtube and Vimeo. Delivering your essence is key to establishing a fan base. If you are a visual artist consider means such as Pinterest to share your art. Aside from presence across the web you must have continuity and engagement. You need to be around ALL the time. Peaks and valleys of engagement can impact your fan-base growth more than you can ever imagine.

Reciprocity & Engagement

It is not a way avenue my friends! Even when you make it big it is essential that you respect and engage with your fans. In fact when it comes to social media you should be your fans biggest fan. Your loyalty and interest toward them will consolidate your position in the industry. If you receive love give love back. Keep a conversation going and always go the extra mile. If you have a new release let your fans be the first ones to get a sneak peek if you are exploring new ideas invite them to collaborate with you and truly use their feedback as a means of shaping your art.

Quality

Your social media and web engagement is a constant audition and a live portfolio. Do not contaminate the web with mediocre content. Before you push a video out make sure the audio is superior and the resolution sufficient to provide a good user experience. Before you open your virtual mouth use a spelling and grammar tool and above all consider the impact of your words. When you are on the web you are performing live and you can’t take back.

Be a Trendsetter & Early Adopter

If a new social media tool comes out embrace it quickly. If you spot a trend take advantage of it. Being first in line gives you the opportunity to create a larger fan base and have the undivided attention of many potential fans.

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