Tweet chats or Twitter chats are described as public conversations on the micro-blogging website which starts with the creation of a hashtag.
The hashtag is a topic prefixed with the ?#? symbol and will properly guide people according to their specific interests and the issues they wish to follow.
If you?re planning to host a tweet chat, it is important that you understand the basics as well as get familiar with the various tools and practices to bring in more people and establish your reputation online. Here are some details.
Guide To Engaging Tweet Chats
1. Make a sound plan. The first step involves identifying your reasons for starting a tweet chat.
Twitter chats are created by individuals for different purposes such as increasing awareness on world events, inviting individuals to join a special event, boosting business or simply creating new connections. You have to define the target audience as well, so you can properly come up with the right techniques and issues that cater to the specific demographic.
2. Learn the process.
Get familiar with how a tweet chat works by joining a number of online Twitter chats. Find out how the moderator manages the conversations and the kind of information that makes the hashtag interesting. You can also look for certain topics that spark your interest with the help of tools. Determine the uses of tagging, retweeting and other techniques that bring in more people to the conversation.
3. The hashtag.
The tweet chat will be featured through a hashtag. It is important that you think of a relevant hashtag that easily describes what the conversation is all about use 2 to 3 words at most only which will be prefixed by the ?#? symbol. The hashtag should be simple, short and easy to remember.
Proper timing is important so you can launch your campaign successfully. When making a tweet chat to anticipate an event, it?s best to launch it a few weeks in advance to garner more followers.
4. Promote the tweet chat.
There are various tools and media online that will increase awareness regarding your online Twitter chat. You can make a static reference page listing. Also tag and post about it using your own Twitter account.
Be sure to include relevant information or attract potential followers by including a link or other significant media to spark their interest.
5. Stay updated.
Especially if you?re covering a live event, it is important to tweet regularly. Also be mindful of the quality of your tweets. It is acceptable to post regularly as well as retweet but make sure that the content and quality of your posts do not deteriorate over the next few hours. Always post original and unique content that will bring in more followers. Only retweet when necessary and try to keep your posts short but informative.
6. Manage the tweet chat well.
When hosting your own Twitter chat, you have to develop a certain kind of style that will entice people to share and exchange their ideas better. You can ask questions and share your own ideas about the topic. Announce the main topic. Later on, you can branch out as long as the issues stay within the limits of the conversation. Provide summaries as the tweet chat continues. Also provide more links, photos and helpful media to keep the conversation interesting.
Overall, the key to an successful and engaging tweet chat is to keep the information fresh and flowing. If you're moderating, that means you need to keep up with the latest buzz on your industry as well so you can share new information during the sessions.
