Top Seven Twitter Chats For Starters
By Cheval John
Here are some statistics to think about:
-Social media users have risen by 176 million in the last year-Brand Watch
-Online adults aged 18-34 are most likely follow a brand via social networking-Marketing Sherpa.
In 2016, there were 2.3 billion active social media users-Brand Watch.
Among the above statistics, Twitter users are about 350 million.
Yet, that platform allows you to interact with people in real time.
And the majority of journalists are on Twitter.
You can interact with them on a daily basis and they will notice your giving spirit.
That is how entrepreneurs like Josh Elledge, founder of Upend PR got to be on media outlets across the country.
Side note: Diane Gottsman is in my mind the best teacher on how to be a giver because she shares advice on etiquette that has made her a media resource.
One way to share value with your potential customers is to participate in Twitter Chats.
Twitter Chats are a place where you can interact with people using a hashtag.
You can use these Twitter Chats to get ideas for your content marketing.
And maybe interact with some journalists too because they might even be on Twitter chats
So how do you know which Twitter chats is right for you?
To answer your question, I have compiled a list of seven twitter chats that will give you valuable advice with your content marketing.
Twitter Smarter occurs on Thursdays at 1 p.m. eastern, noon central.
It is hosted by Madalyn Sklar, who is one of the leading authorities on Twitter marketing.
The chat has guests who answers questions on tips and strategies on how to use the social media platform.
And the majority of the time, the chat trends on Twitter.
2. #ChatSnap
#ChatSnap occurs on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. eastern time, 1 p.m. central and is hosted by Kristy Gillentine.
This chat focuses solely on snapchat and how marketers can use this platform.
Kristy is one of the leading authorities on Snapchat and her Twitter chat has been quoted on Social Media Examiner
3. #MediaChat
#MediaChat occurs on Thursdays at 10 p.m. eastern, 9 p.m. central and is hosted by Aaron Kilby.
This chat focuses on different trends that is happening on social media and usually have guests like Jessica Ann
#LetsLivestream occurs on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. eastern, 2 p.m. central and is hosted by Rachel Moore, owner of Really Social.
This chat is a combination of a Twitter Chat where people can engage with their fellow participants and a Facebook Live Show where Rachel interviews the guests about different live streaming strategies.
5. #WinnieSun
#WinnieSun occurs on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. eastern, 1 p.m. central and is hosted by you know who, Winnie Sun.
Winnie is the founder of Sun Group Wealth Partners and has made appearances on major media outlets to share her expertise surrounding the finance industry.
Her chat has a panel of guests that shares about how to manage your money and also social media topics in between.
It trended on Twitter today which shows the popularity of the chat .
What an honor to share this on #internationalwomensday #trending #WinnieSun ☀ pic.twitter.com/2IY0G0Nzie
— #WinnieSun ☀️ (@SunGroupWP) March 8, 2017
6. #ContentWritingChat
#ContentWritingChat occurs on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. eastern, 10 a.m. central and is hosted by Express Writers, LLC
Express Writers was founded by Julia McCoy in 2011 and has clients around the world.
Their twitter chat is about best practices surrounding content writing, the dos and don’ts of content writing.
Content Writing Chat also has guests who are experts in the evolving social media fields and they share what works for them in their content marketing efforts
#BlogElevated occurs on Mondays at 10 p.m. eastern, 9 p.m. central and is co-hosted by Lisa Stauber and Bobbie Byrd.
This chat shares about how a person can grow their blogs and also different ethical tactics that will make your blog stand out.
Blog Elevated is like an open forum where each of the participants can share what works for them in their blogging strategies and the hosts themselves will share some valuable advice that you never thought of before to grow your blog.
So there you have it, the top seven twitter chats that can help you grow your social media presence online.
Do you have a favorite Twitter Chat that has helped you with your social media marketing? You can leave your comment below
Everyone Truly Matters
By Cheval John
I am grateful for Angela Maiers, founder of Choose 2 Matter, because she gave me the answers I needed to keep on going with my business and podcast.
Earlier yesterday, I lost my headset that was crucial to me recording my podcast on Blue Jeans Network.
I had left my work equipment at the office to retrace my steps to finding my headset.
I knew that I had left it on the train and ironically, I knew which train it was.
So I traveled on the next train to “chase” the other train.
I knew I had to keep my eyes open for that particular train so that I could get off at the next stop to get my headset.
The problem was when the train had passed me on the second to last stop, the thought came into my mind that I had lost the headset.
So I traveled home keeping the faith that I had left the headset home.
However, I did not see the headset and I knew that I lost it forever.
So I had to buy a new and quality headset because I had a podcast recording later that day with Ms. Maiers.
After buying the headset, I was depressed because I was wondering if it was worth it to continue with my podcast because I was not seeing the return in investment like I wanted with my business.
The interview with Ms. Maiers went well because she shared tremendous value to the audience who saw the live recording on Facebook Live.
In the post-recording, I chatted with Ms. Maiers about contemplating to quit my business and podcast.
She understood my frustration and told me that I did not need to launch the podcast episode with her appearance next week because she thought I needed to take a break.
At that moment, I realized that I could not take a break from my podcast because it was very important to me to showcase the people who are making a positive impact in the world through their business and careers.
The truth was I already knew that I could never quit my business and podcast.
However, I needed the reinforcement from Ms. Maiers at that exact moment that I was on the correct path in providing quality content that will solve the audience’s pain points.
That is the power of community when you surround yourself with the people who will lift you up to greatness.
So the most important message to take away is that everyone of you matter because you have a unique gift that can bright up the world.
And Angela Maiers is someone that people need to pay attention to because she is changing the world through her organization, Choose 2 Matter.
You can leave a reply below to share your thoughts about the article.
The Art of Converting Live Stream Shows To A Podcast
By Cheval John
You might be thinking about how you can convert your live stream shows to a podcast format.
Before I get into the step-by-step guide, here are some observations as to converting a show to a podcast.
Remember when I mentioned about blab in my last post?
Blab had the technology to save your live streams in both audio and video format if the show was recorded.
They made it easy for anyone to become a podcaster.
Granted, you might have to edit some of the shows due to their instability because most of the time, some type of technological glitch happened that would interrupt your show.
Once Blab officially went away, platforms like BeLive.tv, Crowdcast and Blue Jeans Network filled the vacuum that was left.
It seemed like there was not a way to convert your live stream shows from the above platforms to a podcast.
And you might be wondering why should I convert my show into a podcast if live video is the wave of the future?
Because podcasts are still important due to the “lack of competition.”
Though YouTube is the second largest website in the world according to Alexa, it is very difficult to stand out from the competition due to the fact that they is a channel for every single topic from how to build an online business to how to find the correct customers for your business.
Podcasts have a much smaller niche because not many people are hosting a podcast.
According to Edison Research, 57 million Americans listens to a podcast each month.
And the competition is much easier due to the fact that the majority of podcasts are not well done.
If you are still not convinced about converting your live stream shows to a podcast, here are some examples of major media outlets who are converting their television programming into a podcast:
First Take is a morning sports debate show that airs weekday mornings on ESPN.
Once they are finished with their live show, the person in charge of the engineering for the network converts it into a podcast for the people who could not watch the show on television.
Mike and Mike is a weekly morning show that is aired on ESPN 2 and ESPN Radio.
The engineers then convert segments of the show to a podcast format so that the fans can listen at their own time.
Update: The show ended their 18 year run in November
Around The Horn airs weekday afternoons on ESPN. They too have their show as a podcast.
Now that you have seen some examples of major media converting their shows to a podcast, you might be thinking that they have the money and the people to convert their shows to a podcast.
The good news is that you don’t need a large budget to repurpose your live stream shows to a podcast.
So you might be wondering, “How can I convert my live stream shows to a podcast if the live streaming platforms only have the technology to save your shows as a video format?”
I will show you how people like Vicky Lashenko, who host her Mompreneur Show on Facebook Live every Monday at 1 p.m. eastern, convert their shows into a podcast.
I use the YouTube To MP3 Converter to turn this episode of What’s The Word? featuring Jessica Rhodes of Interview Connections, which was recorded on Blue Jeans Network and simulcast on Facebook Live, to a podcast
Update: That platform is no longer in service and I discovered the mp3converter.net for converting youtube videos to podcast format
First, I download the recording from Blue Jeans Network to my folder
Then, I upload the video to my YouTube channel
Once the video is done processing, I hit publish to make the video public and then copy it to the youtube to mp3 converter
You want to make sure that you don’t have the video set to private because the conversion to mp3 will not happen.
Once the conversion is complete, you can then upload your mp3 version of the show to your podcast feed, which for me is blogtalkradio.
After that, your podcast is ready to air at the scheduled time.
On a side note, you can change the settings back to private to make edits to turn your video to a snippet that will lead your audience to listen to the entire episode of your show and at the same time, build your YouTube Channel.
Podcast Version of What’s The Word?
In conclusion, you have seen how to convert your live stream show to a podcast.
If you still believe that your content is only suited for one platform like live video, then you are missing an opportunity to diversify your knowledge on different media platforms while building your business.
You can leave your comments below if you agree or disagree with the article above.
Pros and Cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network
By Cheval John
It is safe to say that live video is the way most businesses and sports organizations will use to interact with future customers.
According to a report by Cision, 80% of all internet activity will have a video component to it by 2020.
That means that if you are not using video for your business, you will be left in the dust by your competition.
And live streaming is leading the way with live video.
Platforms like Meerkat and Periscope (both owned by Twitter) and Blab has brought the live streaming revolution to our daily lives.
When Facebook, the world largest social media platform with over 1 billion users, entered the live streaming game last year with Facebook Live, it created challenges for these platforms.
As an indirect result, Twitter shut down Meerkat and is in the process of integrating Periscope to their social media platform.
The owners of Blab shut down their platform abruptly in the summer time though they had a substantial user base.
It is apparent that Facebook Live is dominating live stream and is looking to continue it innovation to keep their user base on their platform.
As a result, live streaming platforms are being very creative in complimenting Facebook Live.
The platforms which are integrating their software with Facebook Live are Huzza.io, BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network
Huzza.io was founded in April 2015 as a way for musicians to get their music out to a niche audience.
Overtime, they expanded their services for live streamers and podcasters.
They were able to integrate their platform to Facebook Live which was a great option for people who wanted to use Facebook Live from their computers.
In February of this year, they sold their company to KickStarter.com and the platform will be shut down on March 1st.
I will add a note that the people from Huzza.io was much more professional in letting their users know that they will not be around anymore because it will give their users time to upload all of their live video recordings to YouTube.
The team from Huzza.io also allowed us to look for alternative live streaming platforms to continue creating our live video broadcasts.
Now, I will focus more on the pros and cons of BeLive.TV and Blue Jeans Network as I have tried both of the live streaming platforms.
Pros of BeLive.TV
The platform is free to use
Your live stream shows goes straight to your facebook page
You can record your show at a certain time
You can do a one on one interview with a guest if you have an interview type of show
The comments from Facebook will appear on their platform
Cons of BeLive.TV:
The platform does not have a way to download a stand alone video
Your live stream will only be for facebook live
If you want to put your video on other platforms like YouTube, it will be impossible due to the fact that Facebook and YouTube are competitors
They are currently in beta
Update: BeLive.Tv is now giving a 14-day free trial of their platform. Afterwards, you will have to pay a yearly subscription of:
$144 for Lite
$240 for Standard
Pros of Blue Jeans Network:
You can post your live show on different social media platforms in addition to Facebook Live
You can record at a certain time
Once the recording is over, you can still continue your Facebook Live stream if you want to continue the conversation with your audience
You can upload the stand alone video of your live stream to YouTube
You can also convert your livestream shows into a podcast
Cons of Blue Jeans Network:
The platform is not free to use
Depending on the price selections, you will be allowed to have from 25 to about 500 people in one room for your shows
The comments from Facebook will not appear on their platform
Update: The leadership team from Blue Jeans Network recently dropped the starting price to $12.49 a month which includes allow anyone to simulcast to Facebook Live. Now the meeting room can hold up to 50 people for the standard “me” option.
Live streaming is here for a very long time and Facebook will continue to be dominant in that space.
If you are only focusing on growing your Facebook Page and don’t have the budget to invest in a live streaming platform, BeLive.TV is the choice for you.
However, if you are looking to diversify your social media presence with live video, then Blue Jeans Network will fit your business.
For me, Blue Jeans Network is the platform of choice because of the features that it has to simulcast on Facebook Live and turn them into podcasts.
In a future post, I will share with you on how you can convert your live streaming shows to a podcast format.
Did I miss any live streaming platforms that integrates with Facebook Live? What are your thoughts about live streaming?
You can leave your comments below.
Your Time Is Your Greatest Asset
By Cheval John
You want to learn something from a very successful entrepreneur you admire.
You see that they are going to be at an major conference and you decide to spend the money to attend that conference in order to hear from them.
You arrived and hear that entrepreneur speak.
You finally have the opportunity to meet up with that person and chat for a bit.
You exchange business cards and decide to keep in touch.
A few months later after correspondence, you reach out to that same successful entrepreneur to let them know that you will be in town and want to set a time to where you can “pick their brain over coffee.”
When you get a response with “sorry I have to decline your invitation for coffee” you might feel disappointed.
You might believe the person is not very nice and you will want to disassociate with them.
Before you think the above response, consider this:
That certain entrepreneur you admire is focused on finding new ways to deliver value to their customers and in the process, make money.
When you want to “pick their brain” by offering them coffee, that is in reality an insult because they have a family to feed and in their mind, time is money.
The above is why Wendy McClelland decline coffee invitations.
You might be wondering, “If I can’t offer to buy them coffee to learn from them, how can I grow my business and even my personal brand?”
Here is an alternative to the above question.
If you host a live stream show or a podcast, you can invite them to be a guest on your show.
The reason is because you have built an audience that they might want to get their business or product exposed to.
You will have an opportunity to learn from entrepreneurs who overcame doubts and fears to be where they are at in their business.
And you can invite that same entrepreneur who you respect and admire to your show because you build that friendship over the last few months after chatting at that conference.
If I were to ask Winnie Sun to share how she became successful as a financial planner, she would have charge me money because she would have spent her valuable time in sharing her “secrets” to success.
Since I host my show, What’s The Word?, I can interview Winnie and other successful entrepreneurs like Sarah K. Burgess, writer of “Dry Powder”, to share their story of attaining their success in their respective careers.
That is in itself a win-win.
The next question is should you host a live stream show or podcast?
You see that by 2020, 80% of all internet activity will have a video component.
And 57 million Americans are listening to podcasts each month according to Edison Research.
To answer the question, you can do both.
You might think that you don’t have the time to do both a live stream show and a podcast because you have a business to run.
You can record your show using video platforms like Blue Jeans Network to simulcast to Facebook Live and then convert them into a podcast format to air at a later date.
If you are looking for inspiration to start your journey in hosting a show, here are a list of live streamers who are turning their shows into podcasts
Vicky Lashenko
Vicky hosts the Mompreneur Show that air Mondays at 1 p.m. eastern, 10 a.m. pacific on Facebook Live
Jennifer Hoverstad and Mitch Jackson
Jennifer and Mitch co-hosts The Show.Live which airs at 4 p.m. eastern, 1 p.m. pacific on Facebook Live. They have grown the show to popularity over a two year span despite changing live streaming platforms (blab abruptly shut down in August of 2016 and huzza.io, which was sold to kickstarter in February 1st of this year and shut down on March 1st.)
Both Mitch and Jennifer are the true examples of perseverance.
Heather Ann Havenwood
Heather is an entrepreneur and is the host of “The Win” podcast.
I already knew about Heather due to her appearance on blab.
However, I found out that she recorded her podcast episode on Blue Jeans Network when Mrs. Sun shared her podcast appearance on Twitter.
Those are the few who are recording their podcasts using Facebook Live.
They are among those who understands that successful entrepreneurs time are valuable and have found a way to learn their “secrets” of success by interviewing them on their shows.
You can leave your comments below if you know of anyone else who are recording their podcasts using live streaming platforms?
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