Leverage Twitter during live events

While recently listening to Le Web’s live stream of keynote speakers on YouTube, we live tweeted some of the discussions for those who did not have access to the streams. As we started to tweet from the various platforms, we realised that not everyone in the Twitterverse adheres to a consistent, best practice when it comes to live tweeting. This is an extension to optimising and innovating the way your brand uses Twitter in a different setting.

Here are some best practices to aid those trying to tweet during live events. 

1. Do your research: Prior to the event you’re planning to tweet from, be sure to check out who is speaking, test the link to the webinar, live stream, etc. to be sure there are no last minute errors when it comes time to the event. It is vital to name check your keynote speakers at the event to avoid spelling or title errors.  If the speakers have their own Twitter accounts, be sure to find them and add them to make quoting them easier and efficient.

2. Give a heads up and disclose your location: Before you start live tweeting, inform your followers that you will be tweeting at a more frequent pace than usual.  Give full disclosure of the whereabouts of the event, whether you are physically there or not, and the duration of the session. This allows your audience to know how far or near they may be to this event and/or gauge how accessible the event is for them to view on their own.

3.  Five W’s: Remember who, what, where, when, and why. Your audience members are relying on you to sift through the broad picture of things and provide them with the important key facts. That said, tweet interesting points made, and questions raised. Avoid a script of the session- think of your tweets as a story being told through the duration of the event. You want your audience to be able to read through what you have tweeted and get a grasp of the details as if they were there themselves.

4.  Hash tag appropriately: Hash tag key words to ensure that your audience can find out information regarding those specific topics. This allows brands to highlight certain words and also see what others are saying about the significant term.  If the event has a hash tag denoted for the session, utilise that as well.

5. Quotes, Quotes, Quotes: Be sure to give credit where it is due and cite your speakers. Your audience wants to know who said what and how they said it.

6. Pictures: “A picture paints a thousand words.” Though what you are tweeting is valuable, there is something about a picture that attracts attention more than words do. Take photos or videos if you are physically present at the event. This brings authenticity to your tweets and adds a sense of being to your tweets.

7. Spectate where necessary: Acknowledge others tweeting about the same event and reply when appropriate. Retweeting is a great way to do this. It’s important to see how others comment on something a keynote speaker may have said as well as add your own opinion when needed. You may gain some insight in the process that you didn’t before from following the trending hashtags.

8. Don’t overkill: Remember the golden rule, quality over quantity. While live tweeting may be stressful at times due to the excess of information you’re presented with, it’s best to remember that it’s not about the number of tweets but rather, the quality of the ones you produce.

9. Give thanks: Thank your speakers for their time and the information they have provided you with. Not only is this common practice but also it builds a rapport between you and the keynote speakers that you may find useful in the near future.

10. Recycle your content: Now that you have all this material on your Twitter feed it’s great to turn it into content for a blog post or a poll for your website. Some of our best blog posts have sprouted from live tweeting sessions. The quotes and points have already been made, now it’s your job to dissect the best ones and present them in a manner that everyone can understand.

Live tweeting is a great way to get involved in the Twitterverse and give your audience insight on an event they may have wanted to attend, or watch but couldn’t. This gives them the ability to get all the information delivered to them on their Twitter feed. Happy tweeting!
Tweet the Conversation Group

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