Twitter is a great platform for small businesses to connect with a relevant engaged audience. It’s an incredibly social platform and the perfect place to network in your pyjamas!

So what is a Twitter chat?

A Twitter chat is a public conversation on Twitter that uses one unique hashtag which allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it.

Some Twitter chats are ongoing but most are recurring and happen on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. They can be focused around a particular topic, industry or location.

Twitter Chats are a virtual meet-up for people with common interests and a great way to network and join in some meaningful conversations on the platform.

What are the benefits of joining a Twitter Chat?

Twitter chats are a great way to network online and meet new people, allowing you to reach a much larger audience and build up your followers on the platform.

They also give you the opportunity to learn from others in your industry picking up useful tips from experts and influencers.

You can also position yourself as an authority in what you do, sharing useful advice to your peers and being helpful to your target audience.

How to take part in a Twitter Chat?

First you need to find a Twitter chat to take part in (we’ll share more on that in a minute). The host will usually share the topic of the chat in advance, so you can get prepared. They will then welcome participants, keep the conversation going and usually ask questions to everyone taking part. Most hosts will use Q1, Q2, Q3 etc. when asking questions, which you can then answer using A1, A2, A3 etc. at the start of your tweets.

The most important thing to remember when taking part in a Twitter chat is to use the hashtag in every tweet.

You don’t want to be overly promotional when taking part in a Twitter chat. In the same way you wouldn’t walk into a networking event and shout about how wonderful you are and then leave, don’t join a Twitter chat to simply promote your business. Make sure you’re interacting with others, responding to their answers, asking questions and being helpful.

It’s also a good idea to let you followers know you’ll be participating in a Twitter chat at least half an hour beforehand, this way they can join you or at least they’ll understand why there is a big increase in tweets from you!

Join #SocialMumsHour

We’ve launched a Twitter chat of our own, #SocialMumsHour, which will be held every Tuesday evening at 8pm (BST).

You can follow us over on Twitter to find out more and to keep up with the topic for the next chat. Follow us here.

Also if you’d like to learn more about using Twitter for your business, why not join one of our upcoming online workshops, find out more here.