Mastering the Art of Live-Tweeting During Events
In this day and age, businesses want to be part of relevant conversations that help create awareness, drive traffic and build a community where engagement between a brand and its audience is not only celebrated but meaningful. So it’s no surprise that live-tweeting has become a focal point for many brands.
But what exactly is live-tweeting and how does it differ from common/day-to-day tweeting? It’s actually pretty simple, live-tweeting is the act of tweeting during an event in real-time. Live-tweeting gives audiences who are at the particular event an opportunity to engage with the event and other attendees as it is happening. It also provides an opportunity for people who aren’t there to experience the event virtually.
There isn’t a single correct way to live-tweet; at its core, live-tweeting is supposed to be organic, conversational and in real-time but there are tips that can help facilitate success for any brand.
- Use the correct hashtag in the conversation. Many events have a dedicated hashtag specifically curated for engagement. Make sure you are reaching the right groups of people by using the correct hashtags. When there is more than one hashtag you can use them, but don’t go hashtag crazy and use a different hashtag for every tweet you put out. If you’re hosting the event, make sure you let your attendees and social media followers know ahead of time the hashtag you will be using. Encourage them to use the correct one by showcasing throughout the event and in your tweets.
- Tag the right people. Tagging people and companies who are relevant to the event in your tweets can help build exposure. Who knows, you might get a Retweet, Mention or Follow from that person or brand. Remember, live-tweeting is all about engagement!
- Don’t go to Twitter jail. There is such a thing as being locked out of Twitter for over-tweeting. The rules of not landing in Twitter jail are: don’t go over 100 tweets in an hour (this includes Retweets), 1,000 tweets a day or more than 250 Direct Messages a day. Over-tweeting can also overwhelm and annoy your followers. If you find yourself locked up with the blue bird, it can take an hour or more before you can tweet again. Time is everything during live events, so be mindful of how often you are tweeting so you don’t miss out on the conversation.
- Engage, engage, engage. The real magic of live-tweeting is that it allows you to connect with people who might share a similar interest, so make sure you monitor the hashtag you are live-tweeting about and start relevant conversations with others around the topic being discussed.
- Track your conversations. Using social measurement tools (like Co-Tweet or Bit.ly) help you keep track of any relevant hashtags and also keep track of click-throughs to any links you might have tweeted during the event.
Live-tweeting is a great way for brands to connect with consumers. If done correctly, live-tweeting can be an easy and organic way to acquire new followers and expose your brand to new consumers. Remember to have fun, put some thought into your tweets and engage with people to get the most out of live-tweeting!
