Alisa Meredith
Twitter is a fantastic tool for interacting with fellow conference attendees, speakers, and even organizers. You don’t have to wait until you get TO the conference to start connecting, though.
In fact, connecting on Twitter is a great way to introduce yourself and start an online conversation which you can then easily continue in real life when you meet face-to-face!
1. Connect With Hashtag Users
Visit the conference website to find out the designated hashtag for the event. This is be the easiest way for you to connect with attendees and other interested people.
Create and save a Twitter search for that hashtag and start putting frequent users into a list you can interact with regularly. Now you can retweet them, reply to tweets, or look at their websites and share their content (making sure to add their @username) in the tweet so they’ll know what you’re doing. Trust me, they will notice.
2. Connect With Speakers And Vendors
Most conferences share a list of speakers and vendors long before the big day. Seek them out on Twitter. If you don’t find the individual’s name, try their company name.
Create two more Twitter lists – one for speakers and one for vendors. Now get ready to talk!
3. Introducing Yourself On Twitter
Here are some ways you can effectively interact before the big day:
- You can ask hashtag users, who might be attendees, what sessions or speakers they are looking forward to. Example, “@username, Will you be there? What are you most excited about? #hashtag”
- Tell speakers you are looking forward to their sessions (if you are) and tell them good luck. Example, “@username, I’m looking foward to your (presentation title) part at #hashtag!”
- Look at attendee and speaker websites to see if they have blogged about their upcoming presentation and share that (again, making sure to @mention them). Example, “Upcoming #hashtag speaker @username shares tips on (subject) (link to post).”
- Tweet out that you are looking forward to @username presentation on (subject) at #hashtag. Example, “Really looking forward to upping my (subject) game with @username ‘s #hashtage presentation!”
4. Sharing Your Own Conference-Related Content
Are you speaking at the conference? Are you so excited about attending that you just had to blog about it? By all means, share your content on Twitter and use the hashtag.
If you’re speaking on a panel with others, mention them in your blog post and @mention them in the updates – they’re likely to share as well. If your blog post about attending included people you are looking forward to meeting, or a mention of their presentations, tag them when you share!
As you can imagine, this not only puts you on the radar of attendees, including influential speakers, but your tweets will also be seen by anyone following the hashtag. Consistent, helpful (not spammy) conversations will encourage people to seek you out when they get there – or perhaps even before!
Next up > How to use effectively use Twitter to connect with influencers and prospective clients when you’re at the event.
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