6 ways to use Twitter chats to boost your brand — and skill set

Though many social media platforms are focusing on real-time interaction, Twitter has always been the site to watch events unfold.
The platform highlights moments and trending topics, and users can take part in many events — from reacting to a breaking news story to live tweeting during a TV show you love.
Twitter also offers the opportunity to grow your knowledge and enrich your skill set by participating in Twitter chats. Chats are often weekly and most last an hour, during which you can learn about a bevy of things, from marketing and advertising to health, food or films.
Here’s how you can take advantage of them, whether you’re a participant or owner:
1. Find your passion — and show up.
There’s no shortage of Twitter chats — nor topics — for you to choose from, and Kneaver, Twubs, TweetReports and Tillison Consulting have directories of available chats. Find one or two you like, and start by becoming a regular (joining the conversation every week, if possible).
It can be hard to remember when a Twitter chat is coming up, though — especially if you’re working on a project or are traveling.
Keep track of your chats alongside your other meetings and appointments with this Twitter chat calendar on FollowMyCal:

To get the full experience out of the calendar, join FollowMyCal and download the app for Android or iOS. You can then follow the calendar and add individual events (chats) to your own calendar, which will send you a reminder an hour before. That way, you don’t have to set your own reminders!
Twitter chat owners and hosts, use this calendar to increase your Twitter chat attendance by sharing individual events (such as your next Twitter chat) via email and social media platforms (that’s one of the great features of FollowMyCal). Ask attendees to RSVP, and you can also see who is planning on showing up.
2. Join the conversation.
You might not have an answer for every question the Twitter host asks, but jump in with your thoughts and additional questions during the hour.
Though you can get a lot out of a Twitter chat by just lurking and reading the answers, interacting with a chat’s attendees, host and guest can open the door to great future opportunities.
You wouldn’t attend a networking party and not talk to anyone, so apply that same logic here.
3. Share, but don’t spam.
Sharing related articles and videos can often help chat attendees more fully understand your point, and can give them something to look at after.
If you have a relevant blog post or article that you’ve written on the topic, feel free to share it as well — but don’t spam the Twitter chat with promotional garbage. Instead, be an active part of the community and place a current promotion in your Twitter profile or a pinned tweet.
Some chats also offer the opportunity to share your social media profiles or creations at the end of the hour, which you can freely take part in.
4. Follow up afterwards.
Thank the host(s) for moderating the chat, as well as any guest(s) to the chat, and always be open to new networking opportunities.
Did you enjoy someone’s insights or want to follow up on a question he or she asked? Follow them on Twitter, but be open to expanding the relationship by following them on LinkedIn or sending an email. You might find your next partnership or client in this week’s Twitter chat.
5. Catch up on insights with a transcript.
Don’t fret if you’ve missed a Twitter chat, because there are often transcripts available afterward. There are still transcripts available of #PRprochat, which Carrie Morgan ran for almost for years.
These transcripts can catch you up on the community and impart valuable knowledge, so comb through them, taking notes as necessary. These are also great content pieces to share with your followers.
For Twitter chat hosts, repetition can help your viewers regularly look forward to your content.
Decide on a day of the week to release the transcript (for example, the next day) and schedule that in FollowMyCal, too. That way, you can get more eyeballs on the insights shared during the chat — and potentially more people in the next session.
6. Tie in other efforts.
Twitter chat attendees can get the most from their time in a Twitter chat by networking, applying lessons learned and tying attendance to other efforts. For example, you can write an article about what you learned or how to take advantage of Twitter chats.
For chat creators and hosts, consider your brand. Do you have a podcast, blog or Facebook Live session that ties into your chat? Promote them before, during and after the chat.
Some chats are officially run by an organization (such as #BufferChat, #RaganChat and #SproutChat), which promotes their products and services. Other chats are individual efforts, but can boost your blog’s reader numbers and add to your skill set.
Have a plan in mind when you launch a chat, so you can get the most you can out of it.
