photocredit: soloprpro.com

BY: RACHEL SMITH

I can see you over there starting to hyperventilate.  Sweat has started to bead on your forehead as your pulse races furiously.  But don’t panic.  I know you’re totally freaked out and thinking, “What the heck is a Twitter Chat and what do I do?”

Never fear!!  This is your brief lesson on Twitter Chats.  What they are, how they work, and how you can get involved.  So buckle up – it’s technological development day here on the blog!

I totally just made that term up, but it does sound fancy, right?

So what is a Twitter Chat?  In a nutshell, it’s a public conversation that takes place on Twitter that is focused around a specific hashtag.  The hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in the conversation.

During our Twitter Chat on Wednesday, you’ll see #MWTravel on each tweet.  That’s how you know you’re in the right conversation with the right people!

The more people tweet using the designated hashtag, the more people that are exposed to the tweet and the information included in it.  This increases Brand Awareness for Clear Lake.  It brings a specifically targeted audience (those looking to travel in the MidWest) to us by engagement, and shows them features of our beautiful little lake town.

And maybe… just maybe, they’ll plan a trip to visit!

What I think many people forget, is the impact these visitors have on our local economy.  Let’s say a family DOES decide to come spend a week in Clear Lake during the summer months. In just one day, they have the potential to create a ripple of economic boost for so many people.  Maybe they start the day with a coffee from Cabin Coffee, and then venture across the street to Backyard Deli for some breakfast.

Maybe they’ll take a stroll down Main Street and sneak in to Lake Lifestyles or Ralphene’s to buy a gift for a friend back home.  Or cruise through the aisles of Larson’s to buy a new Clear Lake t-shirt!

They might have lunch at the famous Starboard Market, and then stop at Simply Nourished or Louie’s Meats to stock up on delicious food to grill back at their rented condo that evening.

And that’s just one day.  The next day, they could visit a whole slew of new places!

So this is why we Twitter Chat; to increase brand awareness, to get our name and pictures of all the totally awesome things we have in town in front of more people.

Last year alone, there were 118 people who contributed to the Twitter Chat.  Over the course of a few days, they tweeted 649 times.  That’s a lot of times that our name got shot out into the World for people to see!

We reached 499,000 people with a frequency of 7.13 times.  And had an impression number (which means the point at which an ad is viewed once by a visitor) of 3.6 million.

3.6 MILLION.

That’s a big number, folks!  And that big number equals the potential for a lot of dollars that could head our way.

So be on the lookout on Wednesday morning at 11am when we start the Twitter Chat.  Be bold and join us.  Like.  Share.  Retweet.

#MWTravel