TweetUps: The New Frontier for Professional Services Networking

By Sylvia Montgomery

Nothing shrinks the world like connecting with people online: across countries and time zones. Recently, we at Hinge conducted a “virtual coffee TweetUp.” A TweetUp is when a group of Twitter users meet up online to have a friendly conversation or discuss a particular topic. Think of it as online networking with an appointed time and an appointed topic.

While the name of this type of interaction may sound frivolous, there are some very significant conversations taking place in TweetUps. There are hundreds of virtual meetings taking place on Twitter at any time. To an outsider, these conversations can appear chaotic. However there is a structure to these events and they can be a tremendous opportunity to connect with people outside of your physical reach. (If you are interested in hosting your own tweetchat, check out: http://www.gnosisarts.com/home/Tweetchat_Wiki — they have a schedule of hundreds of chats, organized by topic and/or day of the week).

Twitter conversations of 140 characters or less can be tracked with hash-tags (also known as the number or pound symbol). Search for a specific hash-tag (#) — the equivalent of a TV channel for the conversation — to join the discussion. Our recent virtual coffee TweetUp followed the hash-tag #aecHingeMarketing. TweetUps run the gamut — from the quickly arranged to the highly organized. Some TweetUps are simply an informal opportunity for a group of people who "follow" each other online to meet and/or have a specific conversation. To participate, you only need to have a Twitter handle and have some general familiarity with the social network.

Turnout for these events can be difficult to predict, but it can be a terrific opportunity to network online without geographic limitations. Twitterers have a tendency to invite friends — the more the merrier. You just never know who will show up. Some participants prefer to just "listen in" on the conversation while others prefer to be more active and engage in discussion. There are no rules on how much you have to participate. It is up to you. 

Our inaugural virtual coffee TweetUp focused on marketing for A/E/C (architecture, engineering, construction) firms. Ahead of time, we developed a series of questions and made sure that they fit within Twitter's 140 character limit. To maintain some level of order, every question was preceded by a letter Q1, Q2, etc. and all answers were preceded by a letter A1, A2, etc. The TweetUp attracted professionals from the US, the United Kingdom and Portugal.

Below are a few representative snippets of the conversation, not necessarily in order. Keep in mind that conversations on Twitter do not always adhere to proper grammar / spelling rules.

BrandStrong: Q1 HAS THE SUMMER ECONOMIC CHANGES ALTERED YOUR FIRM’S MARKETING? #aecHingeMarketing

SuButcher: A1 #aecHingeMarketing we are in the UK so a bit different but yes, working on new ventures as well as being (even) more proactive 

ehannan73: A1: Are firms getting pressure from above to do machine-gun marketing rather than rifle-shot approach? #aecHingeMarketing

HollyBolton: @BrandStrong Both; online is a good way to supplement the offline relationships #aechingemarketing

HingeMarketing: @SuButcher Thanks for the recommendation! Now following @UKGBC #aecHingeMarketing

mandiheilig: Just stumbled upon the #aechingemarketing chat! Great info sharing! Tks guys! 08:08am Aug. 19 2011 PDT

BrandStrong: RT @seantmcvey Posted a list of good professional services tweeters..some good AEC folks on there: http://t.co/saRLDQQ #aecHingeMarketing

aabbruz4: @HollyBolton Agreed! Brand consistency & msg architecture is vital. Which platform generates the most leads for you? #aechingemarketing

Sybil_B: @BrandStrong What's the schedule for the virtual coffee chat? #aecHingeMarketing  08:08am Aug. 19 2011 PDT

SalesLounge: @BrandSTrong..Congrats on your inaugural TweetCHAT that went GLOBAL! Clink Clink with our glasses. Hinge provides GREAT content / Advice!

Our TweetUp lasted an hour; typically the initial 15 minutes are a bit slow as participants begin to show up. Was it successful? For us, yes it was. The tweetup was a good vehicle to engage prospects and peers and extend our brand's reach. It increased our visibility and contributed to our inbound marketing efforts. For additional perspectives, check my recent post on social media and professional services inbound vs. outbound marketing.