Why Your Next Event Should Have A Tweet Wall

Social media is so intertwined into life and business, that I don't need to tell you it should be there for important events. In fact, blog posts are resorting to explaining how to DISCONNECT anymore. But, we'll save that for another time.

Today I am here to tell you why you're next event needs a tweet wall.

What is a Tweet Wall? 

Ever been to an event and seen a projector shining everyone's tweets in real time up on the wall while you listened to a boring finance speech? Weren't you more interested in watching the tweet wall? It's actually really easy, and really cheap to set up!

How To Set Up A Tweet Wall

1. Pick a #hashtag. You can't have a tweet wall without a hashtag, and hashtags help bring the conversation into one place. This past week I helped my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, set one up for their annual Zeta Day convention. We used the hashtag #nynjzetaday2014 if you want to follow it to see how it worked for us.

2. Pick a platform to host your tweet wall. There are lots of programs out there, and some of them are even free that will do a great job if you're hosting a simple, small event.

My recommendation? LiveTweetApp.com  They offer a free option, and it's only $40 to upgrade to their pro package for a 24 hour window. Having a weekend-long conference? They have options for longer days as well. They offer different layouts, and the option to "approve" all tweets before they go live on the wall. Trust us, you'll appreciate that when you ban porn from showing up in your ministries' weekend conference.

3. Post Photos. People LOVE to see themselves, so they're likely to use your tweet wall just because they want to see themselves up on the wall. Show them that their photos can some up on the wall too, and you're sure to get the ball rolling.

4. Incorporate a Contest. We set up 5 different categories to tweet about throughout the conference that got the attendees even more engaged - especially after they saw the first winner announced, plus come up to grab a prize! We made note cards that hosted the questions on the tables, and then posted on the wall when it was time to tweet about that specific question. We then had one moderator choose the "best tweet," snap a pic, and send it to the person running the podium, who would then announce it 10-15 later.

Technology is beautiful!

Why Use A Tweet Wall? Success Story: Zeta Day 2014

Want to go viral? Want to be trending? Get a room of people all together and tell them to tweet.

For Zeta Day, we had a room of over 700 collegiate and alumni from the New York and New Jersey area. We had over 800 tweets in only a few hours, and were trending in the US! Needless to say, Nationals were ecstatic that ZTA was getting some much attention - and from us!

We even had Zetas in Spain, Mexico, Seattle and Tennessee jump into the conversation.

Meet the behind-the-scenes crew! Jill, Anne, myself and Karlie. They always said, "it takes a village."

Looking to set up a successful tweet wall campaign? You can always ask us for our advice! Email stephanie@socialmindedmediagroup.com today!