Basics: 10 tips for effective live tweeting
Live tweeting is a powerful way to include people in conversations they either wouldn’t or couldn’t otherwise join.
It’s also a good way to introduce yourself to others with similar interests or those who might be interested in your expertise.
It’s important to follow Uncle Ben’s paraphrased advice to Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) when live tweeting: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Live tweeting the right way can grow your influence. Doing it the wrong way can seriously hamstring your efforts to maintain quality connections.
Prior to the event:
Give your network a heads-up that you will be tweeting frequently.
Some of your followers will want to pay especially close attention during the event. Others may want to mute you for its duration. It’s better to give your followers the chance to decide, rather than in response to a barrage of message notifications.
Research the program or proceedings and choose wisely.
Pick only those events that interest you and fit your brand. This strategy will put you in the best position to generate valuable content.
Set up tweet templates.
Based on the research you have done, set up a template tweet for each of the events you plan to cover. The template should include:
The handle or name of the person or group presenting the material (It is important to cite your colleagues, even on Twitter).
If there is one, the hashtag for the event.
For instance, here is a template I set up for a presentation with Dr. Anne Marie Albano at the 2016 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Convention. I saved it to Dropbox, so it’s available on any of my devices to be filled with sagacity and tweeted to my followers.
At the event:
Get a good seat for taking pictures.
Including pictures in tweets increases impressions. Pictures also allow you to pack more information into a single post.
They also make up for clumsy thumbs:
Tweet with purpose.
Given that you’re bombarding your audience, it’s even more important when live tweeting to be careful with your posts. Make sure that each of your live tweets adds value and invites interaction.
Interact with others.
Be on the lookout for others live tweeting the same event. Look for opportunities to promote them. Mention others in our tweets. As always, make sure to thank those with whom you have interacted.
After the event:
Follow up with the presenters.
If they are social media users, thank them there. If they are not, write them an email or send them a note thanking them and letting them know you were getting the word out via Twitter.
Follow up with other live tweeters.
Search the hashtag for the event and see what others were saying. Make sure to thank, and seriously consider following, anyone who promoted any of your tweets.
Preview the next event.
If there is a follow-up to the event you are tweeting, write a tweet to promote it. If there is another related event, posting information about it.
Keep the conversation going.
The event your tweeting is the continuation of real-life interactions. If you have tweeted well, you are now a part of that conversation. Make sure to keep it going, following good Twitter etiquette.
I am eager to read and promote anything #psychforward.
