Creating a strong community of followers on Twitter, or any social media site, is a great way to spread the word about your brand. While posting engaging content will always be one of the best ways to build a strong and steady reputation, there are ways to make instant connections. One of my favorites happens to be the Twitter chat. Twitter chats have seen a recent boom in popularity, probably because they’re a fun and easy way to promote your brand. Not only will Twitter chats help you reach a specific audience, they’ll help you make connections and maybe learn a new thing or two along the way. Here’s how to make the most of them:
Find the right Twitter chats for you
Whether you’re into digital marketing, shopping, yoga, parenting, or even Rodeos, there’s a chat out there for you. A great resource to find a chat is twubs.com. This website contains everything you need to jump into the chaotic chatting world. It allows you to search hashtags to find a specific chat, or look up one of your interests on their master chat schedule. The site even lets you synch your Twitter account and participate in the chat from the website. This makes it much easier to monitor the hashtag and reply to other users. It also helps you participate in more than one chat at a time.
Engage with other users in the chat, but don’t spam them
It’s an unspoken rule that, when participating in a chat, make sure you engage with the other users but don’t bombard them with self-promoting tweets. A brief introduction is usually expected, but use the rest of the chat to really connect with like-minded people or potential customers. This means not overrunning them with “buy this!” or “follow me here!” type of content. Answering questions, asking questions and bringing in current events can all help build credibility for you or your brand. For example, if you’re participating in a social media marketing chat, posting a new article from Mashable that you found interesting would be a great way to add relevant and thought provoking content.
Host your own chat to grow your brand and prove your knowledge
If you can’t find a chat that’s quite right for you, consider starting your own. Sure the market is pretty crowded, but if you’ve already got a loyal following, hosting a chat can really prove you know what you’re doing. The website I mentioned earlier, twubs.com, can help you get everything together if you’re unsure of where to start. You can register your hashtag with them so potential chatters can easily find it. I would also recommend synching your account with the site so you can easily monitor the stream and engage with everyone participating. Hosting a chat can easily become overwhelming!
What is your opinion on Twitter chats? Have you ever participated or hosted one before>
