4 Tips for Live-Tweeting Success for Brands
September 2, 2015
Live tweeting – the practice of rapidly tweeting a series of tweets, often accompanied with photos, of an event unfolding in real-time – has revealed itself to entertain, embarrass and inform. In a world where nearly everyone is connected through social media, it’s only natural that large, nationally (or internationally) publicized events receive a lot of social media attention – after all, millions of people experiencing the same things are bound to form a sort of community through these common experiences. Events like the Oscars, the GRAMMYs, the World Cup and the Olympics are among the most popular live-tweeted events out there.
Live tweeting provides a huge opportunity to join in a much larger conversation and make your brand’s voice heard. Popular names like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Arby’s have increased awareness and built their reputations as engaging, youthful brands through live-tweeting. Here are some lessons we can learn to make live-tweeting more informative, entertaining and, most of all, to attract new followers and increase brand awareness.
Choose the right event
When you’re deciding whether an event is worth live-tweeting from your brand’s page, do some research to make sure the event matches your brand. A female-driven lifestyle and beauty brand is a good match for award shows, where you can comment on fashion, wardrobe and celebrity news. Tech brands, for example, should look toward widely publicized tech events, like the annual Apple reveal, as an event to consider. A focused approach to live-tweeting can really make the difference between sending a tweet out into the Twitterverse, hoping for a bite and targeting your tweet to an audience that will interact.
Use relevant hashtags
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a ‘#’ sign that is used to search and identify certain topics on social media. Search for the official hashtag of a big event beforehand and make sure you’re leaving room at the end of every tweet to include it in the allotted 140 characters. Often, the official hashtag can be found on the website of the event as well as other relevant social media links.
Include images
Research has shown that tweets with photos get 313 percent more engagement than text-only tweets. Take photos on your phone, screenshot a web page or find relevant graphics/memes that relate to the content. Chances are, you’ll see many more favorites and retweets than by simply filling up the 140 character limit with words.
Identify influencers beforehand
A few days before the main event, look up some publications, sites and key influencers who have heavily participated in live tweeting events in the past. Make sure they’re the kind of people who engage well, and target some tweets at them – sharing, retweeting or commenting on their tweets is a good place to start. Twitter’s ripple effect will give you a bigger boost during the event itself if credible influencers are interacting with your brand.
At All Points PR, we strategically live-tweet events for our clients, from restaurants to tech brands and dozens of other franchise industry brands. We also practice what we preach – we understand the importance of live-tweeting events that are important to our followers in the franchising industry. Check out our Twitter page to follow the live tweets of our Northern Illinois Franchise Association events.
