Meet passionate people who share a lot of common interests

Many social and professional networks are readily available. Be strategic and ready to use marketing tactics to help build long-term relationships.

Digital storyteller Brittany Reese has made this her basic approach, especially in regard to Twitter.

“I ask questions to my followers and interact with the content of others,” she said. “I answer questions, take polls and ask how people are doing in general.

“It’s fun to get to know people,” Reese said. “Engaging also jump starts my content ideas.”

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She talked with digital marketing expert Madalyn Sklar about using live tweeting as a networking tool.

In her article, “Be Attention Grabbing on Twitter,” Sklar gives these suggestions:

• Post new content regularly.
• Retweet posts with a quote.
• Discuss trending topics related to your niche.
• Join Twitter chats.
• Host value-packed discussions on Twitter.

From those generalities, live tweeting can help build networks.

“Live tweeting introduces me to people from all over the world, no matter what their passions,” Reese said. “I enjoy learning about other cultures and hearing other languages.”

Networks are amplified by common interests.

“Live tweeting can help you make new connections with people who are also tweeting about the same event or searching it on Twitter,” Sklar said. “It increases your discoverability.”

Live tweets work best at specific types of online events.

“Do that at webinars, virtual watch parties of shows and movies, and chats,” Reese said. “Anything to transform participating in events makes them a more interactive experience.”

Various Venues Work

Sklar has live tweeted in several settings:

• Virtual or in-person conference
• Breaking news
• Sporting event
• While watching a favorite TV show.

“Odds are, there are other people talking about the exact same thing,” Sklar said. “They can join your conversation.

“The first time I live tweeted was at a music conference in Los Angeles back in 2008 before most people heard of Twitter,” she said. “I thought it would be cool to share what I was learning in real time. Who knew it would become a thing years later?”

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More immediately, companies can realize fast results from live tweeting.

“Brands benefit from live tweeting through real-time interaction with followers, sharing their brand story,” Reese said. “Plus, giving value and solutions in little chunks that can be used later leads to their content reaching a larger audience.”

The benefits come from the more you know.

“By live tweeting online events, brands can generate more awareness for themselves, grow their following and boost engagement,” Sklar said. “It’s an easy way for people to get to know, like and trust you.”

Part of the challenge is to find the right people to engage with while live tweeting.

“Search hashtags for the event or topic,” Reese said. “Find the social media handles of attendees to see if they are tweeting.

“For in-person and virtual events, ask organizers to remind participants to tweet,” she said. “For virtual events, send attendees direct messages. This quickly establishes connections.”

Find By Hashtag

Social listening will be helpful.

“Use the hashtag to see who else is tweeting about the same live event as you,” Sklar said. “If you see a tweet that resonates, like it, retweet it, and send a reply to start a conversation. It’s a great connector.”

Networking can be harmed by unnecessary restrictions.

“Limiting who can reply to your tweets cuts down on their impact,” Reese said. “You want as many people as possible to view and interact with your content via Twitter and beyond.”

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She emphasized that limiting who can reply could mean missing out on building a fruitful relationship.

“If you limit who can reply to your tweets, then only a handful of people will be able to respond,” Sklar said. “When live tweeting, you should be open to having conversations with new people.”

She noted that people have the ability to decide who can reply to their tweets:

• Everyone
• People you follow
• Only people you mention

“I don’t recommend limiting who can reply to your tweets,” Sklar said. “It will affect your engagement and limit the conversation. If you have issues with trolls, you can easily mute or block them.”

For best results, find the right balance between tweeting and engaging during a live event.

“Focus on summarizing,” Reese said. “It gives more time for replies and to share with attendees. It also gives you more balance between tweeting and nurturing conversations.”

Go By Instinct

The key is nothing more complicated than doing what feels right.

“Make sure you’re not just tweeting without ever engaging with others,” Sklar said. “Mix it up. Making connections is a huge part of why we use social media. So, take advantage.”

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When live tweeting at an event, remember other attendees or those who are not attending.

“Addressing other attendees can be very important,” Reese said. “Encourage others to follow your page. Afterward, follow up with them to build upon your reputation and expand your network.

“Also, addressing other attendees keeps tweets more evergreen,” she said. “That way you are indirectly inviting non-attendees to also engage with the content.”

Sklar injected one caution.

“Only address other people when it’s appropriate,” she said. “You can mention other people when you’re referring to something they said, for example.”

Opt for Quality First

There are general guidelines for live tweeting during an online event.

“Don’t flood your feed with too many tweets,” Sklar said. “Focus on quality over quantity while tweeting. Share the content you know your audience will be most interested in.”

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Overall, use the opportunity to make great new connections as Reese prescribed:

• Keep the tweets short and engaging. Push something down to a new tweet.
• Match your writing style with the flow of the event.
• Slow down. Accuracy is better than speed.
• Put background information in drafts ready to post.

“I’m not sure where I would be without drafts,” Reese said. “I do wish per device that drafts could sync up. I have so many drafts per device.”

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.