Social media, or real-time media as we call it here at globalHMA, is a constant, fast-paced game of content generation and engagement. Over the past two years, our B2B clients have realized the value of having a social presence. Now that social engagement is an important factor in Google’s algorithm, our clients also see the benefits of directly engaging with their audiences. As we continue to encourage as much social interaction as possible, live-tweeting has shown itself as a valuable asset in real-time media marketing.
Live-tweeting lets you share your opinion or unique viewpoint on an event or topic as it unfolds using a specific hashtag. If done right, there are many benefits: positioning yourself as an industry expert, increased traffic to your social profile and website, PR pick up and more. During events, live-tweeting can act as a way to make big announcements, show giveaway winners or indirectly promote products and services. Though the idea of being “live” is high risk, it’s also high reward. Brands have realized enormous success through live-tweeting. We all remember the famous “dunk in the dark” tweet from Oreo:
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Twitter itself even recognizes the increased exposure, noting a typical 1.6x average follower growth and 1.9x as many retweets. While live-tweeting is by far not a new tactic, the methods and tools used have evolved over time.
Percolate, Buffer and Hootsuite are a few of the many tools emerging as content aggregators, schedulers and organizers for real-time media. These tools help maintain the conversations you have with your audience. They can also help you queue tweets, photos and videos, and ensure proper tagging for event hashtags and Twitter handles. In addition, streaming tools like Meerkat, a break-out star at this year’s SXSW, and Periscope, Twitter’s answer to Meerkat, have become a popular way to host a live broadcast of yourself or your brand. These tools continue to break down barriers and provide new, unique and direct ways to interact with followers.
How has live-tweeting proved a success for you? What will be the next breakthrough tool in real-time communication?
