Are you thinking of hosting a Twitter party or chat for your business or organization? Hosting a chat on Twitter can be a lively way to engage your followers and help spread the word about your business or organization. However, not all products and services are a good fit for a chat.

So what are some questions to ask before you dive into the Twitter party scene? Here are some ideas:

Where are your followers on social media? If you have very few Twitter followers, having a Twitter party might work as a way to gain more. However, if your customer base consists of a demographic that has little interest in tweeting (perhaps Baby Boomer males?), you might want to hold off on organizing a chat. Often, we advise companies that followings on a larger scale work best for Twitter parties (for example, a business people can find online or a nationwide chain). Occasionally, we have seen a Twitter party work well for a small, local business or brand. If you are a small company with a group of hardcore, loyal Twitter followers, having a Twitter party might go a long way in reaching out to this group, engaging them, and perhaps creating brand awareness amongst their followers and friends.

What is your business? Some Twitter chats that have been very successful include: chats during televised programs or events, parties sponsored by mom-favored brands or products, chats for a non-profit organization that included helpful information to increase awareness about an important subject or a chat that included a well-known celebrity participant. Controversial brands often do not fare well during live events. If you are a company that recently faced negative publicity, then having a Twitter event might backfire. For example, a well-known maker of cleaning products held a ‘Healthy Child’ Twitter party with the intent of teaching parents how to keep their homes cleaner and thus, their kids healthier. Many parents joined the chat and questioned the toxicity of their products and how they could be considered healthy for kids. If you think your product might create discord in your chat, it’s best to find another promotional venue.

What are your objectives? What do you hope to achieve in having a Twitter party? Do you want to interact with your followers or get them to tweet about you with the hope that their followers will become aware of your business and follow you too? Do you hope your hashtag will become a trending topic and bring a lot more attention to your brand or organization? Or is your goal simply to interact with people in real-time and generate some good PR? In all of these scenarios, having a Twitter party can be a great idea. However, if you are hoping for immediate sales as a result of the party, you might be disappointed. Like any form of advertising, repetition is the key. We’ve even found some brands who have multiple, regular chats and parties to really benefit from this form of advertising. If you believe having one party will work miracles when it comes to sales, you had better look elsewhere.

What is your timing? Why do you want to have a Twitter chat at this point in time? Are you launching a new company, product, service or website? Will your chat coincide with a live event, such as a conference, grand opening or t.v. show? Twitter parties often are celebrations of newsworthy events: a product launch, an industry gathering, an announcement or contest. Twitter parties are newsworthy; the promotional goal is to make that news known even more throughout the Twittersphere. Twitter parties work best when there is reason to celebrate. Find an angle that is newsworthy about your business, and the party will be easier to promote and sell to others to attend.

Twitter parties and chats can be great ways to communicate with people in a fun, festive atmosphere. Not only will your interaction with followers increase during the chat, but also before an after. There are some additional aspects of having a chat that are beneficial for businesses and organizations: if someone engages in a conversation once, they might be more willing to do so in the future, or more willing to listen to your future messages. Also, Twitter party sponsors have discovered that live chats can be great ways to get feedback from those who use their products and services. If you feel that a Twitter party or chat might be right for your company but you’re not sure where to begin, contact us on Twitter or email us at [email protected]. 

Tags: twitter chat, Twitter party guide, twitter party tips

When helping people plan Twitter parties, we are often asked, “What makes a Twitter party or Twitter chat great? How do we get people to attend?”

While prizes often top the list for attracting participants — and certainly offering a big prize generates a lot of pre-party promotional buzz — attendees often need additional reasons to take time out of their busy schedules to participate in an hour-long, online chat. That’s where content comes in.

You have probably heard the phrase, “Content is King,” and when it comes to Twitter parties, it really can be just that. It’s not just about the giveaways. If you create a chat with great content, you’re likely to have greater participation. More tweets equals greater exposure; perhaps even helping your Twitter party to become a trending topic.

Here are a few elements to include when creating content for a Twitter party or chat:

Participants: Let’s face it-it would be fun to tweet with Justin Timberlake, wouldn’t it? If you’re just not into him, imagine tweeting with someone you admire: a writer, musician, scientist, or athlete. Having a well-known person participate in your chat gets people excited and helps create a lot of buzz about your event, especially if the celeb tweets about it herself. If your company has a spokesperson with a large following, having him or her join in the chat can be essential in drawing a huge crowd. But the guest contributor does not necessarily have to have star power to be a draw. Including an expert on a particular subject to weigh in and answer questions during your chat also can be an important addition to your event. Having someone other than the brand itself as part of the chat adds an authoritative element to the Twitter party that will attract not only more followers but also those followers who are truly interested in the subject being discussed.

Special Offers: Many people follow brands on social media with the hope of receiving a special offer, coupon, freebie or discount. Often tweets mentioning a special offer code or discount get a lot of attention and retweets. A Twitter party host might give a special offer to those who attend and/or sign up to be added to their mailing list. Either way, mentioning that the Twitter party might include a special offer to be announced during the chat can go a long way in helping to get more buzz when promoting your event.

Education: Some of our best Twitter parties have been ones where people walk away with new information or knowledge gained about a subject. How do you add an educational element to your chat? Pick a topic that complements your company’s product or service and use the chat as a way to teach people about it. For example, a stroller company might have a chat about traveling with kids, in which a travel expert offers helpful tips and suggestions on how to make traveling with little ones go more smoothly. Having an expert on-hand to answer questions and give advice helps lend some authority to the chat and also can help create more awareness about your chat’s value for attendees. If you have a blog post or article that describes a suggestion in detail, include a shortened link to it in your tweets. One of the best parties we ever helped with for an organic food company  included product giveaways, a  guest expert about nutrition, helpful tips and links to detailed information about healthy eating.

Conversation: Twitter parties should not be one-way sales pitches by companies. This shouldn’t be an infomercial. Like any ‘real-life’ party, part of the party fun is chatting with other people and making new connections. So how do you get the party started on Twitter? Plan in advance a list of questions or topics (think: icebreaker) to get people talking with you and with each other. However, use this list as a starting point only. While it’s great to have a script of sorts in hand, don’t stick solely to scripted responses. You’re not a robot. Engage in the conversation by answering questions and coming up with new questions in response to participant comments. While it might not be possible to respond to every question during the hour, try to find a way to continue the conversation after the chat, whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, or to answer lingering questions via email. Whatever you do, make sure to keep an eye on the number of tweets you’re sending. Don’t get too caught up in the moment and respond to every tweet during the hour. A good rule of thumb is to stick to a tweet per minute — that way you’ll be able to carry on the conversation without having your Twitter account locked up and landing in “Twitter jail.” (What exactly is Twitter jail? It’s when you tweet too much and your account is frozen for a while by Twitter. The word on the street is that if you exceed 100 tweets per hour, you’re headed to the virtual slammer…)

You might have heard the term ‘Twitter Party’ tweeted about here & there on Twitter. But what are they and why should you consider having one?

Twitter parties are live, online events held on Twitter that are usually hosted by a company or organization that wants to introduce its products, services or cause to a social media-savvy audience. Twitter parties occur at a specific date and time, and people ‘attend’ the event by tweeting the party’s designated hashtag in each tweet they send. They also search for that specific tag to find others who are participating in the same conversation.

The terms Twitter ‘party’ and Twitter ‘chat’ are often used interchangeably. However, Twitter chats are typically seen as recurring events (weekly or monthly) that focus on a specific topic of interest to a special interest group, niche or industry (for example: #smallbizchat or #sewingchat). On the other hand, a Twitter party is usually a one-time event sponsored by a company or organization with the intent to market their products, services or as in the case of a non-profit-its mission.

Maybe you’ve attended a Twitter party or chat or perhaps you are a company thinking about throwing one? If so, here are ten reasons why you might want to consider setting a date and donning your Twitter party hat:

10. They’re inexpensive. Traditional advertising campaigns can cost thousands of dollars to set up and execute. By comparison, Twitter parties are inexpensive. You’ll have to pay for your time to organize the event-or for another company to set it up and run it-as well as the cost of prizes and fulfillment. But these costs are small compared with what it costs to run an ad in a magazine or other form of traditional media.

9. They’re newsworthy. A Twitter party is news: it becomes an event that you can promote by tweeting, posting, announcing via a press release, a Facebook ad, etc. It is something that people can attend from any place that has an available internet connection. It becomes something you can promote, announce or invite people to, just like an in-person event. We’ve even seen Twitter parties mentioned on news sites. Why? Because a party thrown by a company or organization — even a virtual one — that is open to everyone is, well…news!

8. You’ll build buzz for your brand. Tweets about Twitter parties get noticed, especially when prizes or guest celebrities are involved. People get excited about parties and like to tweet and retweet information about them. Sometimes companies will even have a pre-party tweeting contest to help build even more buzz for the party. When you throw a Twitter party, you will see many more tweets mentioning you and your brand. If you want to give your buzz factor a boost, try a Twitter party.

7. You just might become a trending topic. When you have many people tweeting one hasthag at the same time, you have a greater chance of trending. More and more chats and parties are becoming trending topics each day, which is valuable, since becoming a promoted tweet (the top spot in the left column) costs approximately $120K per day. People watch the left column to see what’s trending. If your hashtag trends, you’ll have a greater chance that more people will click on your topic and wonder what it’s all about (and in turn, learn more about your business).

6. You’ll open the lines of communication between you & your followers. By making yourself available for a live one-hour chat with your followers, you’ll lend some transparency to your brand and add a human element to your social media presence. People like to know they can talk to a brand — ask questions, have a conversation with the company and know that they are being heard. Once you start a conversation with those who attend, it’s likely to be one that will continue once the party is over.

5. You’ll gain followers. People who attend a Twitter party usually end up following the sponsor or hosts. Will they unfollow you afterward? Perhaps. But if you give them a great party to attend filled with helpful tips, links, and prizes, they’re more likely to stick around afterward and really listen and respond to what you have to say.

4. You just might learn something. Often companies ask for feedback about their products & services from atttendees. I’ve been surprised by how many clients have told us they really learned something about their customers or received valuable feedback during a party. The conversation might give you a fresh perspective on your business or insight into your audience’s wants and needs.

3. You’ll make friends. Why do we say ‘friends’ instead of ‘followers?’ When the party starts, you will gain new followers who follow you for the sake of following the chat. However, converse with them, answer their questions, give them helpful tips, and those followers will likely turn into friends — or people you’ve established a relationship with, who just might in turn like you enough to become advocates for your brand.

2. You’ll give your brand a boost. If you send out one tweet, how often does it get retweeted? Maybe by a few followers-if you’re lucky? As we mentioned above, a Twitter party becomes news: it’s an event anyone can participate in. There are prizes involved, which helps generate excitement on Twitter. A Twitter party is an event that often gets lots of buzz on Twitter: many retweets, mentions, posting of links with more information. If you would like to boost your brand’s social media presence, organize a Twitter party and make yourself newsworthy.

1. They’re fun. Who doesn’t like to go to a party? In-person parties are fun - - and virtual ones are no different. Sometimes there are celebrity spokespeople who drop in to chat, prizes to be won, special offers, coupons and helpful tips and advice to be learned by participants. Host a Twitter party, and you’re likely to develop a reputation as a truly fun company to follow social media.

So if you’ve thought about having a Twitter party or chat, what are you waiting for? Give it a try! And if you need some help getting started, check out our homepage at TweeParties.com.

Tags: exposure, hashtags, impressions, reach, statistics, tweets, Twitter, twitter chat, Twitter party

Ever want to know how to host your own live, interactive event on Twitter or how using social media can help give your business an edge?

Learn the ins and outs of planning and hosting a Twitter chat or party during our FREE Webinar this Tuesday, August 2nd at 1pm EST (10am PST)!

We are proud to be part of this weekly webinar series created by Mikaela Louve at Louve Notes Media. Mikaela has done a great job helping small businesses learn about how to best apply social media to their business marketing plans.

During the August 2nd webinar, TweeParties founder & president Erin Boudreau will take attendees through a step-by-step process of creating, promoting, hosting and analyzing a live Twitter event. Learn why Twitter parties and chats are a great way to ‘spread the word’ on Twitter and Facebook about your business, products and services, and to engage your followers in a meaningful, valuable, interactive event.

For more information and to register, please visit this Eventbrite page!

See you at the webinar!

Erin

Tags: interactive events, social media, twitter chat, Twitter party

Tags: blocked account, twitter chat, Twitter party, twitter search

Tweet

Each day, we field lots of requests from companies and organizations to list their Twitter parties and chats on our calendar. About half the time, we get everything we need to make an informed post in our weekly e-newsletter or in a tweet.

However, often we find that the company or organization hosting the event makes the information difficult to locate. We end up having to do some detective work to get the facts straight.

So much work goes into planning and organizing a live Twitter event. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to draw more people to your party or chat by leaving out important information about your event or making it a challenge for people to find it. If prospective attendees have to dig to learn about it, they might end up skipping the event altogether.

Here are some tips to make your party or chat easy to learn about:

Information/Registration/Landing Page: Often upon hearing about your event, people who are interested want to know more. They have questions that they want quick, concise answers to: When is the party? How do I attend? Are there giveaways or guest hosts? Who is eligible? By including a link in your tweets or posts that directs people to a landing page listing complete event information, you’ll make it easy for them to learn about your event, and reduce the chance that you’ll field lots of questions beforehand. Simply tweeting the date, time and hashtag usually isn’t enough. A well laid-out info page will answer everyone’s questions and help entice people to attend. You can set up a page on your website or blog, create a Facebook event page to link to, or even use a third-party site such as Twtvite to create an ‘invitation’ page that can be shared across social networks.

The Five W’s: In creating an information page, don’t forget the who/what/where/when/why of your party or chat.

• Who: List who the hosts are and their Twitter IDs. Also, if you have giveaways with certain eligibility requirements or terms, be sure to list that information as well. If your giveaways are intended only for U.S. residents, make that clear on your info/landing page. You might want to link to a more detailed page with official rules for those who are interested in the fine print.
• What: List what exactly will happen during your event — what the theme is, topics/discussion points that will be covered, and any sponsors for the event or giveaways. The more details the better.
• Where: Letting people know what hashtag(s) are to be used — or how to find your party on Twitter — is a must.
• When: List the date. When listing the time, be sure to make it clear what time zone you are referring to.
• Why: Each party should have a theme, or purpose. Is it to inform people about a new company or product? To raise money or awareness for a non-profit? To network with other mompreneurs? To trade parenting tips and stories? To coincide with a trade show or conference taking place? Somewhere in your post, be sure to list a reason why the event is happening.
• How: Will your event require registration beforehand? If so, make it clear what an attendee needs to do to enter to win any prizes, if applicable. Also, some of those who want to attend your event might be new to Twitter and/or Twitter parties. Be sure to include information on how they can attend the event, whether it is by using Twitter’s search feature or through a third party application such as Tweet Chat, Tweet Grid or Tweet Deck. To make it easier for you, you can place a link on your info page to the TweeParties Beginner’s Guide to getting started.

Tweets (Short, Sweet & Complete): In tweeting about your event, it’s not enough to say, “Twitter party tonight at 8! Join us!” Be as complete as you can in 140 characters. At a minimum, list the name of the party, date, time, hashtag, and  a shortened link to your information page. If you can fit even more information than that (such as hosts, giveaways, etc.) then do so. The more info you can squeeze into your tweets, the more likely you will have others tweet about your event and follow your link to learn more.

Timing: Sometimes we get wind of a party the day of the event. If you decide at the last minute to have a party — or wait until the same day to announce it — you’re not giving it much of a chance to spread around social networks and be heard. Announce your event at least a few days before the date, to give it time to be tweeted about. With a little more time, you might even get some blogs to pick up the news and help spread the word to their followers.

Looking for a place to start to promote your party? List on our calendar by sending us an e-mail at [email protected]. We’ll list it and tweet about it, free of charge. If you need help in planning your party, we can help with all of your hosting needs! Visit our hosting page for more info and to request pricing.

Tags: hosting tips, twitter chat, Twitter party