Don’t Be Tardy for the Twitter Party

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Everyone loves a good party, just like everyone loves a good conversation. So how can you blend the two and get your brand noticed in the process? With Twitter parties and Instagram chats. These one-hour online events encourage invitees to engage with each other and the brand — one-on-one, in real-time 

It’s no secret that Twitter and Instagram are super hot online hangouts. With more than 300 million monthly active users on Twitter, and an Instagram community of 400 million, the potential to reach current and future customers in their space, and on their terms, is phenomenal. What’s more, these social sites are ideal platforms for building relationships — a key piece of the beauty marketing puzzle.

Find out more: Overcoming Social Media's Steep Learning Curve

Why People Buy

Here’s what we know: 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media1. Why? Because people buy from brands, companies, and individuals they trust. And brands are able to build that trust while relating to their customers online.

People also buy based on recommendations from friends and well-respected influencers. In fact, as many as 90% of people trust peer recommendations2. Social selling, then, is a natural win since it draws all of these components together in a fun, interactive, and engaging real-time environment.

Customers learn more about your products or services, and you learn more about what your customers are looking for, what their questions are, and how you can best address their needs.

Further reading: The Changing Way Consumers Shop Online for Cosmetics 

Cover Ground in a Snap  

Since the point of effective marketing is getting your message heard by as many people in your target audience as possible, hosting a Twitter party or Instagram chat can help you cover a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time.

And since these conversations can be archived, users can access them later on, well after the chat or party has ended.

Convinced it’s time to put on your social platform party hat? Great. Here are some best practices the BeautyStat team has cultivated through hosting Twitter parties and IG chats for beauty brands like Physicians Formula, philosophy, Garnier, Clairol, and Conair:

Your Goal: Name It and Claim It

What are you hoping to get out of the campaign? Awareness? Online sales? Coupon redemption? Newsletter subscribers? Decide on one or two specific goals per party and keep your focus there. Also decide in advance that the campaign will be a success. This makes for infectious enthusiasm that will spill over into your audience.

As far as metrics, 10 million impressions make a big impact, while 40 million impressions have propelled a campaign to the #1 trending topic on Twitter. However, each brand will have its own set of expectations, so choose yours and make sure to measure your results when the party is over.

Hosts and Hashtags

While high profile moderators can be a boon, choosing a host who understands your audience is absolutely crucial. These people know how to get the conversation going, draw in new participants, and ensure that the chat is so intriguing and beneficial that it goes viral naturally. Strategic hashtags are also important, so be sure to choose tags that are memorable and searchable, and also reflect your campaign topic.

Further reading in GCI: How to Vet Bloggers

Give ‘Em Goodies and Grab Some Info

What’s better than free gifts? Almost nothing! Reward your guests’ participation with chances to win gift cards, samples, or discounts. But you should also think outside the box here.

Exclusive information (brand-new studies, insider insight, etc.) and online shout-outs can also be huge draws since many up-and-coming influencers will be more excited about free publicity than free products.

It’s a Wrap … But Not Really

Gaining massive popularity and interaction during the event (a.k.a. trending) is a great goal, but making sure the lights stay on when the party’s over is the ultimate success. If you’ve offered coupons, are the participants redeeming them?

Are you following up with leads? Are you keeping the conversation going by using your campaign hashtags or referencing your party, even weeks later? Be sure to keep the long-tail effect of your party going to remain relevant and ensure optimization.

Become the Talk of the Town 

Remember, you want to host the party that everyone’s talking about a week, month, or year later. By investing some time and resources into your Twitter and Instagram presence, you’ll reach — and make a genuine connection with — prospects who can benefit from your brand’s message. And that’s the biggest win of all.

** 1,2Statistic: 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media- because 90% trust peer recommendations. Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/106-amazing-social-media-marketing-statistics-2014-2015-01151764#rBb0Q4XYxEKDfsTD.99

 

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Ron Robinson is an independent cosmetic chemist and founder of BeautyStat, a beauty influencer social platform that reaches over 30 million consumers. BeautyStat has implemented campaigns that have significantly raised brand share-of-voice, engagement and product sales for clients that include Coty, Walgreens, Beauty.com, Ahava, stila and tarte cosmetics. BeautyStat has been featured in WWD, Cosmetic Executive Women, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times; Robinson is a resident beauty expert for Allure Magazine and Refinery29. He can be reached for questions/comments at [email protected].

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