Twitter chats can be a great way to utilize social media and build a relationship between a business and its audience. These unique 30 to 60 minute real time conversations that use a dedicated hashtag can really help in getting feedback on a particular service or product your company has to offer.
Unfortunately though, people have short attention spans and Twitter has a lot of conversations going on simultaneously that can quickly distract your audience. By simply picking a topic to discuss and promoting it ahead of time may not always get the kind of response and engagement you are looking for.
Here are a few ways to make sure your next Twitter chat is a real success:
Stay Current
By tying your Twitter chat into a current event that is topical will always get people expressing themselves and giving their opinion. People like discussing things in the news, especially topics that are controversial in nature. If you add some of that in your chat you may get more of a response and more people utilizing your hashtag.
Incorporate Multimedia
Pictures (and video) are worth a thousand words! It's not just a saying. It's a fact. By incorporating multimedia into your Twitter chat will not only keep participants organized but also engaged, and less distracted. One tool that that works well with Twitter chats for multimedia engagement is Nestivity. This community engagement tool enables users to organize Twitter conversations into structured "nests," that includes a multimedia Twitter chat vehicle called Tweetcast.
Follow Up
Twitter chats are a great way to get people talking and engaging. But after that hour goes by what's next? Make sure you get those people's Twitter handles and follow them as your business. Then continue to engage with them by initiating one-on-one conversations right on Twitter. Personal touches go a long way, and by reaching out to them directly may turn them into brand ambassadors for future chats and perhaps even into new customers.
Twitter chats are a great, fun way for a business to engage with an audience. But for it to be successful, it needs a lot of organization and planning ahead of time.