When I attend an event where there are panels, screenings, Q&A’s, etc. I always make sure that I’m Tweeting and updating on Facebook and the like about my experience. Part of the reason is that it helps me remember what I’m listening to and experiencing (like taking notes). The other reason is that I’m able to communicate the information that I’m taking in to my network.
For instance, while at ITVFest and NYTVFest this year I attended as many panels and Q&A’s I could. At the beginning of each panel I would tweet who was on the panel – Name and Company. As the panel began, I would tweet key points, quotes from the discussion, including the name of the person talking and a hashtag or twitter handle for the event. Examples from ITVFest and NYTVFest:
@alliecine I’m at “Building Your Career as a TV Writer – panelists Mike Betancourt, Sarah Fain, Halsted Sullivan, Eric Wallace & Maria Ferrari @itvfest
@alliecine Coffee chat will be with John Axelson “Polish your Pitch” @itvfest
@alliecine “Show tape in your pitch. 4-6 min or less.” -Scott, A&E @nytvf
@alliecine “We are moving towards realtime storytelling it’s like sitting in a circle telling stories, getting feedback, feeding on energy.” @nytvf
@alliecine “Brands don’t see just video views as success. It’s all about activating the audience.” @nytvf
What happened when I did this? I had more ReTweets and new Followers in a week than I normally do. I had people thanking me for tweeting the information. I had people recommending that other follow me immediately if they wanted to get in on the information I was tweeting.
Also, as I was tweeting, if I found the panelists on Twitter I would use their Twitter handle when I was quoting them. What did that do? These people who I was tweeting were seeing what I was doing and therefore noticed me. I even had a panelist at ITVFest call me out for it:
@mikerotman I’m secretly hoping @alliecine will be highlight tweeting from my #itvfest panel on Monday.
I had the festival directors thanking me for promoting the festivals and their panelists. Win-win for everyone involved! And how it helped me even more… as I had an audience following my tweets carefully, when I did tweet about my show and screenings, I had people paying attention and sharing the information.
@alliecine Heading in for the 6:30 screening of @solotheseries at @itvfest!
@alliecine http://twitpic.com/2s0it1 – Us at the awards ceremony! @nytvf @robgokee
So if you’re hosting an event, attending an event or looking for someone to help with all of the above – you know where to find me and hopefully these tips will help you promote your event and share the knowledge – after all, that’s what Twitter and social media are all about.