#TwitterSmarter Podcast: Tweeting Your Way Through a Conference with Madalyn Sklar [Episode 37]

#TwitterSmarter podcast with Madalyn Sklar

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In this solo episode I share my tips and strategies on how to leverage Twitter at conferences and events. As I was heading out to Adobe Summit [#AdobeSummit] and Social Media Marketing World [#SMMW17] last week, I was inspired to record this episode and share my thoughts and experience using Twitter at conferences.

I love conferences and I love tweeting while attending. It’s a great way to make valuable connections that will help you in your business.I want to share with you the power of tweeting at a conference. If you are looking to stand out and get seen and heard, this is for you. Live-tweeting is an amazing way to connect with lots of like-minded people. So let’s talk about how to tweet your way through a conference.

How to Stand Out on Twitter at Conferences:

  1. Find out the official hashtag, and start tweeting away.
  2. Take the time to build Twitter lists as these will not only help others, but it will help you.
  3. And always remember to tag people you’re talking about. This will help put you on the map at the conference.

Episode Highlights:

  • It’s all about the conference hashtag. You want to be sure to use the official hashtag. This will help you connect with the fellow attendees as well as the conference host and speakers.
  • Start a discussion about the sessions and workshops you plan to attend. This will help you stand out.
  • Want to get seen as an industry insider? Tweet using the hashtag more than anyone else. You’ll show up on the leaderboards.
  • Connect with industry leaders and influencers. One of the best ways to attract attention of the big names at a conference is to tweet them.
  • Create a Twitter list of event speakers. Each person will get a notification you added them to your list. This is a way to get on their radar. An added bonus, event attendees can subscribe to your list. You’ve done the heavy lifting for them.
  • Live tweet the valuable information you’re learning from the speakers during their presentations. Be sure to tag them. (see example below)
  • Like. Retweet. Reply. Rinse and Repeat!

Example of tweet that stood out at #SMMW17:

How to Reach Madalyn Sklar:

You can reach Madalyn Sklar on Twitter @MadalynSklar or through her website at www.MadalynSklar.com.

Your Call-to-Action:

Your call-to-action for this episode is twofold. 1) at the next event or conference you attend in person, I want you to live-tweet from there. I’d like for you to share what’s being said. Talk about what you’re learning. Get creative and do a live video after a workshop or panel, and give your take on it. Even invite the speakers to participate with you. 2) the next time there’s an event or conference you cannot attend in person, I want you to make time in your schedule, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, to follow the hashtag and participate in the conversation. You’ll make amazing connections doing this. Let me know how this goes. Send me a tweet @MadalynSklar. Tell me all about it, because I’m listening.

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Transcript:

Madalyn Sklar:
Hey, hold that tweet. This is episode number 37 with me, Madalyn Sklar.

Announcer:
Welcome to the #TwitterSmarter Podcast where you get the best Twitter tips from the pros. Twitter expert, Madalyn Sklar, wants to help you take it up a notch on Twitter. In each episode of this podcast, you’ll walk away with actionable tips that you can start using right now. So are you ready to get #TwitterSmarter?

Madalyn Sklar:
This episode is brought to you by the #TwitterSmarter Twitter Chat. Did you know this podcast had a chat? If not, you are in for a treat. Every Thursday at 1 o’clock Eastern, I host the #TwitterSmarter Chat. It’s a great community of people looking to connect, learn, and share Twitter tips. I hope to see you there.

Now let’s get on to today’s episode. I thought I would do a solo show talking about tweeting at conferences. I’m inspired to do this because I’m heading out in a few days to Adobe Summit in Las Vegas and Social Media Marketing World in San Diego. By the time this airs, I’ll be there, so please be sure to check out the hashtags, #AdobeSummit and #SMMW17.

I love conferences. I love tweeting at them. I love following conference hashtags even when I’m unable to attend. It’s the next best thing to being there. But either way, I like to be involved with a hashtag with conferences, with events. It’s a great way to make valuable connections that will help you in your business. So let’s talk about how to tweet your way through a conference. I started live-tweeting at conferences before most people had even heard of Twitter. In early 2008, I attended the ASCAP EXPO in Los Angeles. It’s a large annual music business conference. It was my first year to attend it, and I remember the big star attraction that year was Jon Bon Jovi.

Armed with my brand new iPhone, I was ready to tweet up a storm. But back then it was hard to explain what exactly a tweet was. I announced to my community that I would be microblogging at the conference. I would be sharing 140-character snippets in real- time. I was live-tweeting at a conference before we even knew what to call it or what it really was or power it possessed. I remember Jon Bon Jovi sharing incredibly helpful music business tips. I tweeted them out as fast as I could. I wanted people to feel like they were there with me. It was empowering. I was taking information I was learning and sharing it in real-time out to the Twitter universe. This was my first taste of live-tweeting at an event. I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone how cool it was to share these quotes and get instant feedback. This was really new and exciting to get real-time conversation.

Now fast-forward to 2017, and you see lots of people live-tweeting at conferences and events. We witness on Twitter helpful bits of 140-characters trying to tell the story of what’s being overheard. It is common to see large numbers of people using the official event hashtag and sharing information. It’s a fun way to connect with other people and attendants as well as those who are following the hashtag but are not there in person. I want to share with you the power of live tweeting at a conference. If you are looking to stand out and get seen and heard, this is for you. Live-tweeting is an amazing way to connect with lots of like-minded people.

Now these are my 10 ways to connect at a conference using Twitter.

Number one, conference hashtag. It’s all about the conference hashtag. Check the event website, their newsletter, or even their Twitter. If you cannot find it, reach out and ask. You want to be sure to use the official hashtag. This will help you connect with the fellow attendees as well as conference host and speakers. It’s important to use the official hashtag because it becomes common for people to make up their own hashtags. So, for example, I’m going to Social Media Marketing World. The official hashtag is SMMW17. There are going to be people that will do their own hashtags. They’ll do SMMW2017, or they’ll leave the year off. And they might get some attention, but if you stick with the official hashtag, you just can’t go wrong. You will connect with the most people by doing that.

Number two, start tweeting before the conference. It’s never too soon to start tweeting about a conference. Be sure to use the official event hashtag. You’re going to hear me say that quite a few times because this is so important: official event hashtag. Tweet that you’re excited to be there. Start a discussion about the sessions and workshops you plan to attend. This will help you stand out. It’s a great opportunity to connect with others who will be there at the conference.

Number three, excellent exposure for you. Want to get seen as an industry insider, as a connector? Tweet using the hashtag more than anyone else. Share information about the conference. Share tips about the city and how to navigate around the convention center. You’ll quickly get on the radar with people who will be attending. Start networking with them, and make plans to meet up. You never know where this will lead. I’ve made the best connections this way.

Number four, build your followers, and be the lifeline. You’ll attract new Twitter followers just by tweeting before, during, and after the conference. You’ll not only connect with fellow attendees, but you’ll also connect with people who are unable to attend. They can follow your tweets and be in the know as if they’re there with you. You can be their lifeline to the event.

Number five, connect with industry leaders and influencers. One of the best ways to attract attention to the big names at a conference is to tweet them. I recommend doing this before the event. I would say something like, “Hi @MadalynSklar. I’m so excited to see you speak at Social Media Marketing World. I’ll see you soon. #SMMW17.” This is a great way to start a conversation. Now, it may not grab attention the first time around. You may want to do several tweets to an industry leader. Watch their tweets. When you see them promoting that they’re going to be at the conference, respond back, and let them know you’re going to be there. Even get bold and say, “Hey, look for me on the front row watching you speak. I’ll be taking pictures for you.” That’s powerful.

Number six, make a Twitter list of speakers. Create a public Twitter list of all the speakers. This will serve as twofold. Number one, you’ve done the heavy lifting for fellow attendees. They can view and subscribe to your list. You saved them all the time. It’s an easy way to get known at the conference. And as an added bonus, the speakers will get a notification that you added them to your list. It’s a great way to get on their radar before the conference. Number two, you’ll be able to easily look up speakers’ Twitter handles so you can tag them when you tweet them.

So many times, you’ll be busy tweeting, and listening, and trying to share this information quickly, but you may forget the Twitter handle of the speaker. So this is why it’s great to have that Twitter list at your disposal, because you can easily look them up when you’re getting seated and know what their username is, and you’ll be able to tag them. You want to tag people you’re talking about. If you don’t tag them, they don’t know you’re talking about them.

Number seven, make a Twitter list of attendees you meet. What better way to follow up and stay in touch with people you’re meeting than adding them to a Twitter list? Create the list, and make it public. When you add your new friends to it, they’ll get a notification. This is a great way to do this because it’s just another way to get on the radar and to stay on the radar.

Number eight, be the unofficial conference documenter. Take lots of photos and videos with your phone. Post them to all your social media, but especially Twitter, using the official hashtag, and don’t forget to tag speakers and the people you meet. This is a great way to get and stay on the radar. When I speak at a conference, I love seeing all the photos and videos taken of me giving a presentation. I will follow them, I will retweet, I will like, comment. I’ll do all of that. They stand out to me the most.

Number nine, live-tweet presentations. This is your moment to shine as a conference insider. Tweet helpful information and tips shared by the speakers. Be sure to put them in quotes. Tweets with quotes get a 19% increase in retweets. Tag the speakers, and use that conference hashtag.

Number 10, like, retweet, and reply. Be sure to spend time liking, retweeting, and replying to tweets from others at the conference. Twitter is best used as a two-way street. It shows that you are listening and that you care. You’ll get on their radar. People will see you over and over again. When you’re at a conference, everyone is hyper-focused on the official hashtag. You want to stand out, and this will get you there.

So these 10 simple tips are the key to standing out using Twitter at a conference. Find out the official hashtag, and start tweeting away. Take the time to build Twitter lists as these will not only help others, but it will help you. And always remember to tag people you’re talking about. This will put you on the map at the conference.

Your call to action for this episode is twofold. Number one, at the next event or conference you attend in person, I want you to live-tweet from there. I’d like for you to share what’s being said. Talk about what you’re learning. Get creative and do a live video after a workshop or panel, and give your take on it. Even invite the speakers to participate with you. Number two, the next time there’s an event or conference you cannot attend in person, I want you to make time in your schedule, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, to follow the hashtag and participate in the conversation. You’ll make amazing connections doing this. Let me know how this goes. Send me a tweet @MadalynSklar. Tell me all about it, ’cause I’m listening.

Now, before we go, I want to thank everyone who’s taken the time to rate and review this podcast on iTunes. It really means the world to me. If you haven’t done so yet, I’d love for you to post one. It just takes a minute to do. As a thank-you, I’m going to do a giveaway. I will choose a winner each week to receive a free #TwitterSmarter LoveHandle. It’s a grip for your phone or your iPad. It makes it so that it’s so easy to do one-handed texting and selfies, you name it. It’s pocket friendly, too. I love mine.

To win, follow these simple steps. Number one, leave an honest rating and review on iTunes. Number two, before you click the submit button, take a screenshot of your review and tweet it to me @MadalynSklar. Number three, I will randomly choose a winner each week. I’ll tweet the winner and announce it in a future podcast episode. You can see what the LoveHandle looks like by going to my website, madalynsklar.com/lovehandle. So that’s it for this episode. Until next time, I’ll see you out on Twitter. Take care, everybody.

Announcer:
Thank you for listening to the #TwitterSmarter Podcast where you get the best Twitter tips from the pros. Stay in touch with Madalyn on Twitter @MadalynSklar or through her website, madalynsklar.com.