Way back in May 2013, my third installment of the “little black blog” was all about Twitter hashtags. But there’s more to hashtags than pound signs combined with strategically organized letters. On Twitter, “birds of a feather flock together” for the chitter-chatter of Twitter chats. There are probably as many types of these chats as there are North American bird species!
Certain hashtags represent like-minded business peeps who get together on Twitter to chat about marketing strategies, social media tips, blogging, and the like. With the click of your index finger (and a little reading time), the world of business-related chats on Twitter is easily navigated. (I’ve already done the research/sourcing for you.)
Ready to glean a tip or two from some highly useful conversations on Twitter? (Please note: I speculate in this blog post that you have a Twitter account and enjoy using it. There is no intent to “make an ass out of u and me…”)
#B2BChat Does Its Best Work at Night: Every Thursday night on Twitter at 8 p.m. (ET), one of #B2BChat’s lovely moderators asks participants a series of three or four questions. These conversations focus on (print and web) business-to-business marketing tips and best practices. For example, a recent discussion delved into “How to get the most out of SlideShare.”
What I really like about #B2BChat is that the people running it are kind enough to post each transcript to the chat’s Twitter account. If you’re intrigued, check them out on Twitter (@b2b_chat).
Put a Little Blog in Your Heart with #Blogchat: Whether you blog about business or personal topics, #Blogchat has you covered every Sunday night at 8 p.m. (CT, so it’s 9 p.m. for my East Coast compadres). Rather than using a Q&A format, this chat’s moderator selects one blogging topic per session, and then a lively discussion ensues.
Your host is the fabulous Mack Collier (@MackCollier), whose professional goal is to cajole you to “Think like a rock star.” To learn more before you jump into the blogging mix, here is Mack’s helpful explanation of the #BlogChat rules. And no, the first rule has nothing to do with Fight Club!
#SmallBizChat Is a Lifeline for New (and Even Seasoned) Entrepreneurs: Many of you in the southern New Jersey and Philadelphia region should know the name Melinda Emerson, better known as @SmallBizLady. She rocks my online world!
On Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. (ET), Melinda interviews a small business expert. The resulting Q&A is meant to enlighten entrepreneurs aspiring to grow their respective little acres of free-market enterprise.
Melinda’s guests provide their answers via Twitter. Participants use either tchat.io or twubs to follow the interview. You too can jump into the conversation and even tweet a 120-character “business commercial” during the final minutes. A recent chat offered insight into “Why Small Business Websites Fail.”
Every Thursday morning, Melinda posts the Q&A transcript on her blog. Check out her guidelines regarding how you can become a #SmallBizChat guest or sponsor.
A Marketing Nut Likes to #GetRealChat: This wide-reaching chat for small business owners and entrepreneurs is hosted by Pam Moore (aka @PamMktgNut) on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. (ET). Per the @GetRealChat Twitter feed, “We get real on social business, marketing, media, leadership, ROI, relationships and life!”
#GetRealchat is a community of participants, but Pam also invites her Marketing Nutz clients to be chat guests (I think). These occasional guests have represented companies such as UPS, AT&T, Kodak, and Whirlpool.
A topic Pam and the other “assorted nuts” recently discussed was “Humanizing Your Brand on Twitter.” Like other gracious moderators, she posts chat transcripts online (via the #GetRealChat feed).
#KaizenBiz Offers Continuous Improvement (140 Characters at a Time): Konnichiwa! While this particular Tweet chat is a bit more esoteric, it will feed your business need for thinking before doing.
Hosted by Elli St. George-Godfrey (aka @3KeysCoach) on Fridays at noon (ET), #KaizenBiz rotates between a Q&A format and “bring your own headline” discussions.
Topics discussed by this dedicated group of philosophical “chatters” have included: emotional intelligence, transparency as a company value (not just a policy), and “Goal Setting, Achievement & Emotions.” Elli posts her #KaizenBiz transcripts to @KaizenBizchat (via hashtracking.com). I think this Tweet chat pairs well with a cup of organic green tea and rice crackers…
The Skittles-like rainbow of Twitter business chats awaits your discovery. Additional chats I didn’t highlight that sound intriguing to me include: #BrandChat, #ContentChat, #EmailChat, #LeadershipChat, #PeopleSkills, and #SocialCafe. (FYI, I’ve lurked about in the Tweet chats detailed above but haven’t yet participated. Shame on me.)
Do you follow or participate in any of the chats mentioned in this post? If so, which is your favorite and why? Please don’t hesitate to share the hashtags of other business-oriented Tweet chats you suspect my gentle readers might enjoy (thank you).
Lori Shapiro is the owner of By All Writes LLC, a business-to-business (B2B) writing, editing, and research company in Marlton, New Jersey. She revels in shielding her clients from the pain of writing their own print and web marketing copy. Please call Lori Shapiro at 856-810-9764 or email By All Writes LLC at lori@byallwrites.biz for a no-obligation project quote today!