Twitter Chat Secrets to Improve Your Online Presence

It’s not a big secret that social media is here to stay. Part of the social media landscape is Twitter. When is the last time you were able to network with brands, connect with influencers online, grow your Twitter account, and learn something new all in the span of two hours without spending a dime nor leaving your humble abode?

FREE is hard to come by and sometimes, often times, there is a catch, right?

What if I told you that I know of a place you can get all of the above and not feel pressured or out of sorts? A place where people were kind, welcomed you, and puts the “social” in social media?!

That place is a Twitter chat, and more precisely, a #BlogPawsChat on Twitter.

Here’s the scoop. No strings attached. These not often talked about secrets…which I consider key to Twitter success…can help improve your online presence. Stay with me on this.

A Twitter chat is a gathering of folks online who all follow a certain hashtag for a certain period of time. During that period of time, there opportunities abound for marketing your own Twitter account but also to connect and help drive traffic to your blog. Wow, right? Sounds too good to be true. It is true: If you are genuine and utilize the tool that participation in a Twitter chat to its maximum efficacy.

Let me show you how. Let’s use #BlogPawsChat as our example. These Twitter chats take place three-times-a-month Tuesday night Twitter chats from 8 to 10 pm EST. Yet there are things that some folks are not utilizing the chat for…and therein lie the secrets. Here we go:

Finding New Followers

In addition to having fun, a #BlogPawsChat  is networking at its finest. Want followers? Follow people, interact, and introduce yourself. I follow everyone (trolls or spammers aside) who comes into a #BlogPawsChat. Here’s how I do it:

I keep Twitter open on one browser tab while I keep my Hootsuite tool open on another.  You can decide to simply keep Hootsuite (or Tweetdeck) open and follow folks in the #BlogPawsChat stream who appear. Sound like a foreign language to you?

Watch this and then jump past the video for the rest of this article:

Most folks follow back. How do I know? I look at my new followers after the chat or the next day.

Networking

We’ve all been to a party where someone won’t stop talking. It’s all about themselves. Me me me syndrome. And they usually end up alienating people as a result. Don’t be that guy or gal. Engaging in a Twitter event such as a #BlogPawsChat makes you approachable, sociable, available to chat, and folks can get to know the person behind the Twitter account.

Social media is a double-edged sword: It has opened doors on so many levels but it has closed doors in so many ways as well. We need to be more social. If you can’t attend an in-person event like the BlogPaws Conference, being seen and active in a #BlogPawsChat is crucial. It shows you exist and engage.

Monetize

Looking to monetize or further monetize your blog? Meet others who feel the same way and there are always brands and sponsors on board looking for bloggers with which to interact.

Brands engage on many of the #BlogPawsChat. Most brands engage during this time  to promote content, build brand awareness and interact with followers. It makes sense.

Become an Influencer or Grow Your Existing Influencer Status

Gone are the “how many followers mantra” and in is the “how much engagement are you getting” philosophy. Yes, the brands still want to know how many followers we have, but more importantly, we are asked about engagement.

Social proof is one of the highest forms of flattery you can receive from one (or more) of your followers. Social proof helps build your influence. Case in point:

If I were to tell you how awesome a certain cat treat is and how all my friends have cats who eat these treats and you must go out and buy them right away…..

Well, you might do it, but what if….

One or more of your followers shares a tweet that you posted? What if said fan(s) recommend what you said to their followers? See where this is going. It is highly likely folks in that sea of followers will consider your recommendation and buy the cat treat.

Influence building rocks. A #BlogPawsChat is a great way to get on other people’s radar. Plus you can leverage and engage with/show influence to your existing followers.

#winwin

Tips to Being a Successful Twitter Chat Participant

• Say hello, introduce yourself, and be social without being nonstop and flooding the chat with tweets. Something like this works: “Hi everyone, it’s great to be here. #BlogPawsChat”
• Engage with the brand. A #BlogPawsChat is a fantastic opportunity to get on a brand’s radar. They suddenly see you. They know you are there. Your name is fresh on their fingertips. They might even follow you.
• Share an image. The common factor in a #BlogPawsChat is pets. Let’s see your dog, cat, bunny, ferret, snake, bird, iguana, pig, fish, or whatever pet you call your own.
• Retweet: A retweet is much like an in person head nod or acknowledgement. You want to share messages as a good Tweep and let folks know you are considerate. Sharing is caring.
• If you have a question for the sponsor or just in general but no one responds within 5 minutes, repeat the question and include @felissahadas in the tweet. She will retweet or respond so that your question gets answered. Felissa is our Director of Influencer Programs.
• Use the proper hashtag in every single tweet. If you don’t do this, your tweets won’t be seen by others during that Twitter chat.
• If prizes are being offered, be sure to follow the rules. Generally, the main rule is to Direct Message the host. In this case, the host of #BlogPawsChat is @BlogPaws. Follow us, we must follow you back, and then you would do this when a question is posed:

DM @BlogPaws with the answer here.

• If you have an experience using the product or a story being featured, share
  your thoughts. The sponsors LOVE hearing original comments.

• The more you participate during chat the more others will interact with you.
  Participation means people will follow you and each of your future tweets
  will become more impactful

What if You Cannot Attend a Twitter Chat?

You can always go back and search for the #BlogPawsChat hashtag to see what happened. The best advice for being a successful Twitter chat participant is to be there, engage, and be genuine. Even on social media, people want to see the real you, the authentic you, and to get to know you better.

What do you think? Have you participated in a Twitter chat? How about a #BlogPawsChat? Share your experience and thoughts in the comments! Follow us on Twitter and we will follow back. @BlogPaws.

Image:  Razumovskaya Marina Nikolaevna/Shutterstock

Carol Bryant is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for BlogPaws and runs her own blog, Fidose of Reality and its fundraising arm, Wigglebutt Warriors. When not busy playing with her Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, she stays far away from cooking. Her trademark is her mantra and is tattooed on her arm: My Heart Beats Dog.®