Twitter Chats are the unsung heroes of the Twitter world. Unlike Facebook, Twitter is a social media where people are actively looking for a conversation. Tools like hash tags and Twitter’s live events just optimize the opportunity to find new people to follow and interact with.
Why Twitter Chats are Important
Twitter does have its wall as a user. In the beginning, everything is fine and dandy. You’re finding all these great pages to follow and you have a couple of friends who are there with you. Some months go by and suddenly, you hit that wall. That wall is your Twitter feed. It becomes pretty much filled with big brands and thought leaders. That is great for the information, but it lacks an opportunity to actually connect and talk with people.
Once this happens, Twitter becomes a little mundane. You could go follow people who fit your desired industry, however you risk finding spam, inactive accounts, and more thought leaders that don’t really offer an option for real connections.
Twitter Chats are what gets you over the wall.
What is a Twitter Chat?
Twitter Chats are run by different brands, profiles and thought leaders to ignite user engagement. What often will happen, is a brand will schedule a weekly or monthly chat using a hashtag. Everyone who would like to participate will tune in to the hashtag at the specified time.
From there the brand that is managing the chat will post questions. Users are free to answer and give their feedback. This is where Twitter Chats truly become valuable. Once you start to see the answers from other users, it is your time to respond to them. Give your opinion on a certain answer or just tell them you agree!
It may be daunting at first, but remember it is Twitter. Spontaneous conversation is welcome. And think about it, anytime you tweet something on Twitter, don’t you like the validation of someone’s approval. Well that is what you are doing for that person, you are validating their point.
Stay Consistent
Twitter Chats are far from the answer though. You’re not really going to reap sales on your first visit. What you are looking for are the long term relationships and building of authority. If you can consistently be a part of those Twitter chats, you can become a consistent force and voice in the chat. Over time people will begin to follow you and your followership will grow. Don’t beat yourself up though if you find it hard to schedule time to do it, even I personally need sleep and snooze past some chats.
Don’t Be That Guy/Gal
This is extremely obvious, but there are just some people who want to see the world burn. What I mean by “that guy/gal” is the person who goes into these chats and only posts deals or sales they are running. That is pretty much spam. Okay, no I retract, it IS spam. I know the example to the right is Facebook, but whatever platform it is, don’t do it. Nobody likes it.
It is extremely awkward for everyone when that happens. All the participants ignore the tweet and just scroll past it, rolling their eyes in disgust. So note, please don’t be “that guy”. Just don’t do it, it doesn’t work.
In Conclusion
Remember that networking online is just like connecting in reality. The more often you go to an event and become a steady participant, the more opportunities and trust you will garner. Be committed, take the Twitter chats seriously. To those who need help, I’ve created a quick guide on where to find Twitter Chats.
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