How to Organize a Tweetup

In this age of virtual communication, it’s easy to think that good old-fashioned face-to-face communication is dead. But for a business invested in building relationships with consumers, sometimes virtual communication just isn’t enough to generate brand loyalty and develop brand ambassadors. But communicating through social media to set up some face time between your business and your customers is a fantastic way to combine the best of both worlds. So, how do you do it? Consider a Tweetup.

A what?

A Tweetup is simply a gathering of Twitter users around a common cause, product or event. Maybe your company is launching a new product – advertise a Tweetup to your followers and let them know the place, date and time to come hang out, and learn more about your product and maybe get some free samples. Or perhaps your company just wants to do something special for its customers. Hold a customer appreciation Tweetup. There are tons of ideas for what to organize your Tweetup around, but there are a few key things to keep in mind to make sure yours is successful.

• Set goals. What’s the purpose of your Tweetup and what do you want your guests to get out of the event? The answers to these questions will largely determine the type of event that you hold. If your goals include getting people who love your brand all in the same room and talking to each other, then a social gathering might be more appropriate than an event that includes a big presentation and little time for guests to interact.
• Choose an appropriate venue. Depending on your Tweetup goals, your venue should facilitate what you’re trying to accomplish and be appropriate for your business’s target audience. For example, a popular bar may be great for young professionals, but not for 40-something stay-at-home moms.
• Make sure that the venue has strong WiFi. When choosing a venue, definitely check out the WiFi situation. Since this is an event that’s been coordinated virtually, it’s safe to assume that your guests will continue to use technology while in attendance, and they’ll greatly appreciate being able to connect through WiFi.
• Line up a speaker or key event. A selling point for your Tweetup could be a desirable speaker, an exciting demonstration of a new product, a raffle. While some may be happy to come out based on loyalty to your brand alone, you’ll attract more people if there’s something to make it worth their while. Plus, it will give you something to organize the event around.
• Throw in some freebies. This is not new information, but people love free things. And they love the people who give them free things. So consider an added incentive like free product samples, free drink tickets and/or hors d’oeuvres, a free concert, free parking, etc. And be sure you’re mentioning it as you…
• Spread the word.A Tweetup is for your Twitter followers, so be sure that you’re advertising it daily through tweets of course, but don’t forget that you can use signage at your place of business, posts on other social networks and emails to your database to encourage people to follow you on Twitter to find out more about the event.
• Gather contact information. Don’t underestimate the importance of names and email addresses!Sure you’ll be able to connect with attendees in the future through Twitter, but while you have them at your event, ask for contact information while they’re signing in and creating a name tag with their Twitter handle. This way you can add them to your database and add another layer of communication to your relationship.