Why Twitter Parties Don't Suck

I’ve been hearing some talk lately about how and Twitter parties (like Jyl Johnson Pattee's Girls' Night Out/GNO and, on a smaller scale, our own Clever Girls Collective parties) are “stupid.” Here's why I think they aren’t stupid and why companies testing the marketing waters on Twitter shouldn't think they are stupid either.

Blogger Jessica Gottlieb outlined the suckitude in a recent post, and I'll address each of her points directly.

Brands should host the parties themselves.

Sure brands could host the parties themselves, but there are lots of reasons they might not want to (or can’t). Brands like Coke or Ford certainly could put together a huge Twitter promotion that has reach well beyond an hour-long Twitter party. Both brands have gigantic followings in the social media space and wouldn’t necessarily need a third party host to make a successful Twitter party happen, although let’s not forget that brands like Coke and Ford go out-of-house all the time to help them plan and execute other social media, marketing, and PR campaigns.

And then there are the brands that are just entering the social media arena. They don't have the in-house resources, and require the assistance of an experienced guide, and access to their (presumably interested) following.

Keeping this in mind, using an outside host for a Twitter party shouldn’t be out of the question for any brand. It goes without saying that smart brands will be participating along side the host, joining in the fun, and connecting with potential customers.

The value in having an outside host for a Twitter party is allowing smaller brands (and even some larger ones) the chance to leverage the host's followers. Think of it like a networking event, and like with most networking events, people are there to make connections, identify influencers, and build community. Also as with most networking events, results may be seen right away, or seeds may be planted that will come to fruition down the line. No one is forcing -- or paying -- Twitterers to participate in Twitter parties so companies can assume that the folks who are engaging are interested and highly-motivated. People actively joining in are interested in the brand, interested in the message, and interested in connecting with companies. If you are a brand looking for creative ways to reach out to potential new customers, what's not to love about that?

GNO continues to attract well-known, trusted brands like Crayola and Seventh Generation (who pay good money to participate) which means that Jyl must be doing something very right. In my opinion, Twitter parties won’t suck if hosts work with clients to outline goals of the event (what does success look like?), the products match the audience, and the post-game analysis can back up your game. Metrics in addition to matching up those predetermined goals will substantiate the fact that their Twitter parties are well worth the time.  (Social media gurus: you are providing detailed metrics to your clients as part of your services, right?)

They clutter up the Twitter stream.

This is an easy fix: Use a Twitter API, like Tweetdeck, to filter out the hashtags for the Twitter party. When it’s over, resume following those folks you otherwise normally love.

But, Twitter links have the “no follow” attribute, don’t they?

Yes, the URLs (bit.ly etc) are “no follow” links as are all the links (except internal twitter links), which include @usernames and #hashtags.

Companies may not get the true SEO benefits of links on Twitter as you would from links on another blog or website but companies do get the reputation benefits. Visibility on Twitter because of a well-executed “party” increases brand awareness in a heightened and immediate way, and, if done correctly, can be sustainable. In the short to medium term, Twitter parties can also increase the number of people visiting a company's site, so there is some SEO upside there.

Twitterers see the tweets and retweets pertaining to brands and/or products and can visit your Twitter page (which does get indexed by Google and carries a page rank). Companies can get found in search (even more so with the recent announcements about Bing and Google) which all help with raising their social media profile.

Twitter parties are often more than just about SEO. Identifying influencers, tracking community engagement, raising awareness, reaching out to potential customers--these are all reasons why a company might be interested in throwing a Twitter party. A Twitter party might also just just one part of a multi-faceted marketing campaign. Basing success or failure of a Twitter party solely on SEO is being short-sighted.

In the end, it's about being where the people are, and people are on Twitter.

When Clever Girls Collective puts together Twitter parties, SEO is often just one piece of the puzzle. Outside observers shouldn't presume that SEO is the number one reason why any brand chooses to participate in a social media campaign. Most companies pay agencies good money to manage that aspect of their business strategy for them. Social media marketing efforts should support and complement the sales and marketing goals already established by the company or brand. Twitter parties are just one part of that strategy.

For Clever Girls Collective, Twitter parties are one way to connect the budget-wielding, decision-making, smart, savvy women we target, with companies who offer products and services to enhance their lives. These are companies we love, and we get a kick out of sharing the things we love with our girlfriends. All of the above aside, when you're participating, Twitter parties can be really fun--fun for the brand, fun for the participants. Hey, don't knock fun! Creating goodwill may be one of the social media goals for the company or brand.

And remember the most important part: you have to be "there" to be part of the conversation. For a significant and appealing -- and engaged -- target market "there" is Twitter. And with Twitter's continued staggering year-over-year growth, that's where smart marketers will continue to go.

—Stefania Pomponi Butler

Comments

[Mary@Everyday Baby Steps]

Such great, positive points, Stefania. Thank you for your well-thought out post in the defense of fun and doing business as companies and party-goers see fit.

[twitter.com/ssmirnov]

Stefania,I appreciate your perspective and the balanced tone of this post. I struggle with my feelings about Twitter parties and have had some lively internal debates here at DeVries about whether we should keep recommending them to clients. I know I can filter out twitter parties but I can't help feeling cranky that I even have to. But the bigger question for me is, how else could that money be spent? Would I get more bang for my client's buck creating partnerships with the right 5 or 10 bloggers with big reach, creating sponsored (and disclosed!) content and interesting calls-to-action that drive back to client website? Maybe with a visual component (like Whrrl or Snazl) that creates cool context and enhances sharability? If I'm spending social media dollars, I want to create something with more permanence and resonance and the Twitter Party streams don't seem to provide that.
Thanks for your insight and for keeping the conversation going.

[Lori Magno]

Excellent post and points, with one note from my day job marketing side; many brands - large and small, don't know how to 'jump in' the social media pool without a belly flop. They mash around like a bull in china shop with a giant "YOU LOVE US YOU SHOULD FRIEND US NOW" behavior that doesn't work in many spaces. Twitter parties, like any real life parties are always better when you introduce a new 'guest'.

The trusted advisor position is a valuable place to be - I'll take your recommendation over a random pop up saying 'BE MY FRIEND' any day!

BTW - I've had more fun during the Project Runway parties than should be allowed! (And I'm happy to talk about Twitter ROI/SEO benefits to my growing craft business!)

[Clever Girls]

All excellent points. We think the introduction is important, too.

Stefania Pomponi Butler

Principal and Founder

Clever Girls Collective, LLC

stefania@clevergirlscollective.com

415-254-2866

@clevergirlscoll

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[RookieMom Heather]

Question for you about definitions:

Twitter party = people twittering on a topic from separate locations

Tweetup = people twittering on a topic while at a real party

Correct? Or does it depend?

[Clever Girls]

I think of Twitter parties as people partying it up on Twitter from the privacy of their own homes and Tweetups as being in-person events where people who know each other on Twitter meet at a bar or other venue.

Stefania Pomponi Butler

Principal and Founder

Clever Girls Collective, LLC

stefania@clevergirlscollective.com

415-254-2866

@clevergirlscoll

citymama|momocrats|40 whatever|kimchi mamas

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[Kim Tracy Prince]

As I contemplate participating on the panel for GNO tonight, I find all of these points to be verrry interesting.

[Carissa]

Wow Stephania, you put this all in such a clear cut understanding. Lately I've been asked a lot by big and small companies.. "What are twitter parties and should we get involved?"

Now I'll just send them to your article here. Perfect.

[Jack]

No one is forcing -- or paying -- Twitterers to participate in Twitter parties so companies can assume that the folks who are engaging are interested and highly-motivated. People actively joining in are interested in the brand, interested in the message, and interested in connecting with companies.

Those are big assumptions that I am not sure are easily supported.

Any time there are giveaways the participation of those involved is automatically suspect. There is a significant question about whether their interest lies in learning more about the brand or gaining a prize.

Is there any data that suggests otherwise?

[maris]

Agree with your points. I think it's also important for the host of the Twitter party to do his/her best to monitor the quality of the conversation and keep things relevant and somewhat on track. I only participate in Twitter parties if I like the topic and feel like I have something relevant and genuine to contribute; others may misuse the hashtag and the purpose of the party can be misconstrued.