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Get the Most Out of Twitterat a Convention

29 September 2013v. 3 update 14 June 2014

Mary K.D. D’RozarioMSCR, CCRP, RAC, CCRA

Social Media for Health Care and Life ScienceClinical Research Performance, Inc.

mary.drozario@crplink.com@marydrozariomarydrozario

marykddrozario

Even if you

don’t have a

Twitter account.

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Did you know that most conventions have a conversation that co-exists on Twitter?

Questions, further discussion, bringing in followers and experts from all over the world, this is what happens on Twitter.

This slide deck will show you how you can become a part of that conversation.

Or, you can watch the conversation, even if you do not have a Twitter account.

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What, I can follow Twitter without an account?!

Yes. All you need is the hashtag for the event.

Go to http://www.twitter.com/#YOURHASHTAGHERE

You will be able to see the discussion from your event.

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Wow, that is so cool! I was overwhelmed thinking about creating a Twitter account.

The slides in this deck build one at a time. If you feel overwhelmed STOP READING.

Just do the things up until where you got overwhelmed. You can do more later.

Right now, you only need to do one thing: Find out the hashtag for your conference.

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Hashtags Aren’t Only for Twitter!

That’s right, you may also be able to find the hashtag being used on Facebook, Google+ & Instagram.

Remember, you will only be able to see posts that you have permission to see (posts from friends, or people who are making public posts).

So check your other social platforms and see if your conference has a conversation going on there too!

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Use Twitter Without a Twitter Account

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Wow, these are some great tweets! What if I want to share them with my boss back home?

Method 1: Storify.com Save your tweets onto a web page. Even add comments.

The program lets you search for tweets by typing in the hashtag. Tweets get buried into history fast, so grab them the same day!

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More on Storify…

You do not need a Twitter account to save tweets into Storify.

Here is a Storify I created to save a set of my own tweets on resources for social media:http://storify.com/marydrozario/social-media-resources

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You Need a Twitter Account for This…

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I don’t want to make my page public, and even Storify “private” stories are not secure.

Method 2: Email Tweets to Yourself Best to have aTwitter account to do this.*

This slidedeck discusses two tools that make emailing your Tweets more awesome:

Evernote.com Hootsuite.com

*You can copy/paste from your web browser into emails, but who has time for that?

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How do I email a Tweet?

Click “more” and select “Share via email”

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Okay, I am ready to play! How do I create an account?

Go to http://www.twitter.com and create your log in.

If you can’t think of a great name, don’t worry, you can change it later. Tip: a good Twitter handle is SHORT.

Twitter makes you select some accounts to follow when you open your account. They offer you some random choices- you can change this later.

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I’m on Twitter! I want to tell the whole world!Write your Twitter handle on your conference name tag:

@JaneSmith

Before the conference, tell others you will be on Twitter and give them the hashtag.

LinkedIn Conference social area, if there is one Facebook

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I don’t want my account to be totally lame.

Go into the settings and add a picture in the “profile” section. Otherwise you will be an egg.

Don’t be a lame egg.

If you don’t have a picture available, just use free clip art.

You can be a dragon fly:http://www.dragonfly-site.com/free-dragonfly-clip-art.html

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My employer says I have to put in a disclaimer.

Your employer may have a social media policy. Check your HR manual.

The policy may require you to say that you do not represent the company. It may provide the exact words to use or it may be more general.

Click on the settings and then click on “profile”. There is a “bio” box where you can write something like “Opinions expressed are my own and do not represent my employer.”

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People are following me. Should I follow them?

Look at the feed of the person who followed you- do they post things you are interested in? Then follow them.

This one rule will usually keep you away from spammers and other bad people.

But people told me I should follow everyone who follows me- it’s polite. No- you don’t have to talk to strangers and you don’t have to follow everyone who follows you.

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We’re tweeting now!

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I want to send my first Tweet!

It is easy, just click in the box to “compose new tweet.”

Notice that the bottom of the box shows you how many characters you have left.

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I have followers from back home! How do I show them the tweets from the conference?

Don’t re-tweet every tweet- it will just clutter up the conference stream with your name over and over. Not good manners!

Instead, write a tweet like this:At the Burger Joints conference by @burgergalactic. Check out the tweets by following #awesomeburgers.

Re-tweet a few selected best tweets to keep up interest.

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How do I re-tweet???

Method One:

Click here

Oh phone,then click here:

On computer you will get a secondpop-up confirming the re-tweet.

Warning: You can never undo this. You can now undo from Twitter.com or the Twitter phone app.

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How do I re-tweet???

Method Two:

Warning: The next slide is sort of complicated. This is way easier if you get a Hootsuite.com account (described later in this deck) or use the mobile Twitter app.

Method two you can undo if you make a mistake. (Everything on the internet is forever, but if you undo quickly people might not see.)

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How do I re-tweet???

Method Two (on a computer):

Copy and paste this into your tweeting box. You get this:@HarvardBiz 37m Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomq1U

Add the following to show it is a re-tweet (RT and :) and take out the time:

RT @HarvardBiz: Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomg1UHit “Tweet”.

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How do I re-tweet???

Method Two (on the Twitter app):

You can use that. Or take out the quotes and the user name at the end, and put at the beginning:RT @HarvardBiz:

You get:RT @HarvardBiz: Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomg1U

This is the old-fashioned look and is how Hootsuite will format your re-tweets.

Click here

“Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomq1U” @HarvardBiz

You get this:

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How do I re-tweet with a comment?

People usually add a comment at the beginning, like this:

Neat link! RT @HarvardBiz: Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomg1U

If your comment is before the “RT” people know it is you.

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I just need a couple more letters for my commentYou can do a modified tweet (MT). For example, the word “innovation” is really long:

Neat link! RT @HarvardBiz: Should You Back That Innovation Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomg1U

If you shorten to “Innov.” you have more letters:

Really neat link! MT @HarvardBiz: Should You Back That Innov. Proposal? http://s.hbr.org/1aomg1U

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I am ready to write a tweet- the speaker said something interesting and no one else tweeted it!Because you only have 140 characters, you probably want to write TWO tweets.

Tweets #1: Identify your speaker.I am listening to Linda Smith of North University at the

#awesomeburgers.”

Tweet #2: Give the info. (Use quote marks if it is an exact quote.)

Burgers solve every disease possible says LS at #awesomeburgers.

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Being Awesome on Twitter

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But I want my tweets to be more awesome than that!

When you identify someone, take a second to link some info about them.

official bio LinkedIn profile Twitter handle!

When you quote them, you might be able to find a source to link.

An article they wrote Is the slide on Slideshare or other places on the internet? The original source of the information (study, news

article…)

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Nah, other people get NOTICED at conventions. How can I do that?Join the conversation before the convention starts.

Tweet value.Example: At a large conference, I saved a clip of a map of

all the Starbucks shops near the conference center and sent it on Twitter.

Tweet fun.Example: Start a treasure hunt to find out how many different

brands of candy the vendors are giving out.

Tweet context.Example: Provide links to information that goes beyond what

is being presented at the conference.

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I don’t want to be a bore though. What are some guidelines for good manners?

If few people are tweeting, go to town- you are creating value. Sending more than a tweet every three minutes (20/hr) might be excessive though.

As more people tweet, dial it back. Look for unique (no one else tweeted it) and higher value.

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Any more tips on manners?Give other people credit- re-tweet their best tweets, or start a conversation.

If people re-tweet you, find a way to thank or interact with them.

Send these kind of extra tweets during lulls or in the evening.

Don’t use the hashtag (it will just clutter the hashtag feed).

Don’t argue on Twitter- it is just too hard in 140 characters. Bring lively discussions back into the face-to-face conference.

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But I heard something really juicy!

Everyone can see your tweets. There are always people with an agenda against your industry and they are watching.

Consider two or three times whether you want to post something that would put your industry in a bad light.

Always think about how people outside your industry will view your tweet.

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I’m still worried about my employer not wanting me to represent them.

Unless you do represent your company on social media, keep it personal and general about your overall work experience.

YES:“In my experience…”

NO:“At my company…”“On my current project…”

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After the Conference

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The conference is over. Now what do I do?If this was a professional conference, you now have a professional identity on Twitter. Less than 1 in 1000 people on Twitter post unique value, and one of those special people is you!

Keep in touch by posting something at least once a week.

Just three posts a day can put you into rockstar Twitter status.

(I provide coaching to help you develop a strategy for your rockstar status.)

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What should I NOT do after the conference?

Start blathering about your personal life. Keep it professional!

Post controversial material. Your colleagues and boss still need to like you, and your clients needs to be able to be associated with you in public.

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There is cool stuff on Twitter about my hobbies though…

If you want to start playing in other areas of Twitter, create a personal account for that, but remember that nothing on the internet is ever private.

Only very special rockstars can have a combo professional/other stuff account. You are not that special- keep your professional image focused.

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Tools: Evernote and Hootsuite

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Now that I have a Twitter account, why is Evernote.com awesome?

• It is free!

• You can email stuff into the account. Email tweets to create a searchable library of tweets

that caught your eye. Email anything else you want to save.

• Emailing to yourself works especially well on mobile devices. (Great for conferences!)

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You also said I should get a HootSuite.com account. Why?

• You can write something once andpost it to Twitter AND to Facebookand LinkedIn.

• You can create a conference dashboard on your mobile device… it’s really just the first step to world domination. (More on this later.)

• Again, FREE!

• You can add comments when you email tweets.

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Set up your HootSuite.com account.

Open an account at http://www.hootsuite.com.

Link your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Decide where you want to set up your conference dashboard.

The dashboard does not copy between the places you set it up. If you are going to use the iPhone app at the conference, set up your dashboard on the iPhone app.

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Set up your HootSuite.com dashboard.All of the apps look a little different, but the instructions are very similar.

On the app, click on the house on the upper left to see your streams. Click “edit”.

Click “add stream.” (On the website, there is an “add stream” button in the upper left. You may need to select your Twitter handle at the top of the box.)

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How adding HootSuite.com streams looks on the computer:

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How adding HootSuite.com streams looks on the iPad app:

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Set up your HootSuite.com dashboard.If any of the “Feed” streams are not showing…

On the app:Select them one at a time and select “save.”

On the website:Click the + button.

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Set up your HootSuite.com dashboard.

Now click on “Search”.

Type in the hashtag for the conference.

On the app- click “save.”On the computer- click “Add Stream.”

You will now have a column where you can follow the hashtag for the conference.

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For Speakers and Vendors

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For the Speaker:

Put your slides on the internet. Slideshare.net is a great place.

On your opening slide, provide links for the audience:

Link to the slides Link to the bio you would like them to use. Your Twitter handle.

Bonus: Write your own Tweets. Use Hootsuite.com to time them to post while you are speaking.

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For the Vendor

Twitter is the new vendor mini candy. What can you do to make a conference more fun?

What can you do to add value? Have your materials available in smartphone / tablet viewing friendly form.

Tip: Instead of a whitepaper, think slideshare.net

Start participating in the hashtag stream before the conference.

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What can CRP do for your social media?

StrategyExecution

Key Personnel Engagement

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Background on Clinical Research Performance, Inc.

CRP was founded by Mary D’Rozarioin 2012 out of the clinical researchIndustry.

We provide social media and content marketing strategy and execution, primarily in health care and the life sciences.

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Strategy

What channels should you be using?

Who is your target viewer on that channel and what do you want them to get out of the interaction?

What method are you going to use to track ROI from your social media efforts?

We can help you work through asking and answering these questions.

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Execution

Once you have a strategy, you will need micro and blogging content which is aligned with that strategy.

Often 100% outsourcing is neither advisable nor affordable. We can work with you to create a mix of mentoring and direct content creation.

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Key Personnel EngagementYou are a solopreneur or everyone is telling your CEO that she has to be visible on social media. But who has the time?

Key personnel social media engagement requires a team approach. A social media strategist and mentor can help keep the team going the right direction.

Check out this post from the Harvard Business Review:

http://blogs.hbr.org/2009/11/10-tips-for-getting-your-ceo-on-twitter/

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Questions

Ask on Twitter @marydrozario

Email mary.drozario@crplink.com

Schedule a free telephone consult at http://www.meetme.so/marydrozario

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Copyright notice from Mary K.D. D’Rozario:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

What does that mean?

You may share this slide deck in its entirety with anyone for free. Splitting up the deck or charging for the copies is out of bounds.

The original slide deck can be found at http://www.slideshare.net/marydrozario