Be the host with the most: Twitter chats for associations
No one wants to leave a good conversation with newfound friends. That’s the power of a good Twitter chat.
Twitter chats are regularly scheduled group chats on Twitter. Participants chat together by adding a hashtag, like #assnchat, to their tweets. #assnchat is the weekly Twitter chat on Tuesdays at 2pm Eastern for association professionals. Chat participants use an application, such as Tweetchat, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, to see and respond to tweets that include the chat hashtag.
Twitter chat ROI
What are the benefits of hosting a Twitter chat?
- Build a Twitter community around your chat and association.
- Gain visibility as a thought leader by hosting an industry chat and using the hashtag on tweets of value to your chat community.
- Gather market intelligence by listening to the ideas, concerns and challenges of your members and community.
- Engage prospective members, attendees and revenue partners.
- Find ideas for blog, social media, newsletter and magazine content.
Meet a Twitter chat host.
The National Science Teachers Association recently held their second #nstachat. Teshia Birts, senior manager of chapter and associated group relations, says, “Some of us participate in #scichat and #assnchat. As we became more comfortable we thought the time was right to host our own chat.” Their chat is monthly, but once the school year starts, they may increase its frequency.
“At this point we want to engage as many people as we can through our chats – members, non-members and other organizations.” NSTA promotes their chat on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, listservs and newsletters. Their promos include a link to a cheat sheet that shows Twitter newbies how to participate.
Teshia has three tips for Twitter chat hosts:
- “Prepare, prepare, prepare! Study other chats to see how they moderate. We get feedback on topics and questions from our social media participants. Identify a topic ahead of time and prepare 5-10 questions to generate conversation. Make sure your questions are well under 140 characters so people can retweet and add other hashtags.
- Promote your chat on Twitter to related hashtags to amp up exposure for your association. We promoted our June chat about integrating science into other subject areas to our usual hashtags plus others like #mathchat.
- Start and end your chat on time. Keep the conversation moving. As moderator, you may feel rude cutting off awesome dialogue, but the good conversation will continue, that’s the beauty of tweet chats.”
Hashtag 101
Before establishing a hashtag, search to find out if it’s already in use. Keep it as short as possible. Make sure you can pronounce it easily. Check the Twitter chat schedule before setting a regular time.
For more information about establishing a hashtag, read:
- Jeff Hurt’s advice about identifying and registering a hashtag.
- Twitter fan wiki on hashtags.
If your industry already has a Twitter chat, follow the lead of Karen Altes, senior manager of online communities at the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). She participates in two weekly industry chats: #crechat for commercial real estate and #aptchat for multifamily management.
Although few IREM members use Twitter, Karen says: “Some of the most active people in the industry participate or take turns hosting #crechat. It’s good for us to be a part of the conversation even if it doesn’t completely align with our segment.”
By participating IREM gains visibility and learns about industry issues and challenges.
“It’s really helpful to hear real people talk about issues that concern them. It’s one thing to say, for example, the FASB proposed rules for lease accounting will adversely affect commercial real estate, but quite another to hear exactly what it means to someone.”
The chats give Karen a chance to engage with IREM’s community. “When things are hectic it’s easy for our Twitter account to become a stream of scheduled promotion-heavy posts. The chats force me to sit down and have real conversations with people in our industry.”
Twitter chats offer an opportunity to make connections and get real market intelligence. Join us next Tuesday at 2pm for #assnchat to see how it works.
What other tips would you give to an association considering a Twitter chat?
Deirdre Reid, CAE is a freelance writer and regular #assnchat participant who has grown fond of its eyebrow-raising name.
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Deirdre Reid
Deirdre is a freelance writer, blogger and copywriter. The association community remains her professional home after spending ten years at national and state associations overseeing membership, vendor programs, marketing, publications, chapter relations and more. Away from her laptop, you can find her hiking, doing yoga, cooking new recipes, volunteering at the history museum, or relaxing in a comfy chair with a good book and glass of wine or craft beer.
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