5 Ways to Maximize your Summit Connections on Social Media

If you’re heading to the Southern C Summit next month, you’re probably already in planning mode.

Getting your restaurant recommendations together, coordinating your ensembles for each day and starting to think about who you might choose as a mentor.  As you prepare for what’s going to be an inspiring conference, you should also prepare to maximize that experience using Social Media.

Social media is by definition, social!  So it makes sense for us to post during networking events on social media. But you’ve got to plan ahead if you want to make meaningful posts that resonate with your audience without being glued to your screen all week. Here are 5 ways to get ready so you can engage with impact.

1. Download the Summit App – Not only does the app have a TON of information about the conference, but you can also access Twitter and Instagram directly though the app itself. Instead of relying on that pile of business cards at the end of the conference, go ahead and start networking through the app. Contact info, profile pics and social channels, it’s all in there, so it’s even easier to reach out. After a session, take a few minutes to log on and connect with the people you just met, and add any notes that help you remember them or your conversation.
2. Get social early – Follow and interact with other attendees before the event. You’ll find ways to collaborate before you meet in person. Like their pages, comment on posts and get to know their businesses through social media. This is also true for presenters and partners. Just use the agenda as your roadmap.  In our case, since we’re a food-based content creation agency, we know we’re going to want to share pictures of the Sea Island Supper on Wednesday.  We’ve already followed the sponsors and started to engage with them on Instagram, so when we’re about to dig in to our meal, it’ll be quick and easy to share a drool-worthy food pic! Follow anyone you’ll want to meet now and it will be quick work to tag them while you’re posting at the Summit. It’s also really easy to do this in advance for the presenters and partners – they’re all listed in the Summit App!
3. Plan your calendar – Study the schedule so you can plan your social postings in advance. Decide what you want to post about, which channels and what times.  You definitely want to leave room for spontaneity but you don’t want to miss the perfect opportunity for a post.  For example, maybe your followers really get excited when you post cocktail pics. You’ll want to make sure you share a pic of the signature cocktail from See.Spark.Go at Wednesdays Sip + Shop + Socialize.  Put it on your calendar with a reminder so you don’t get caught up in the excitement and forget!
4. Save your hashtags and handles – This is a lifesaver when you’re posting in a hurry. Type relevant hashtags and handles out in notes so you can just copy & paste. Better yet, go ahead and put these into your notes right now! #tscsummit #connectcollaboratecreate @TheSouthernC Add in any of your own brand hashtags as well. Each time you post on social, make sure you include the hashtags and tag the Southern C.  The exception to this is Twitter, where you might only include the #tscsummit to save on character space. The Southern C Summit app also contains hashtags and tags for the presenters and partners involved this year.
5. Embrace Twitter  – Plan to Live Tweet a session that resonates with your followers. This is a great way to create a flurry of activity in your feed and connect with a lot of attendees at once.  Decide in advance which session you are going to live-tweet so you can promote it before the summit on Twitter and your other channels as well.  We only recommend doing this for one session though, because it takes a lot of energy and focus! Make sure you follow the presenters and sponsors of the session in advance and let them know in a tweet.  Again, save relevant hashtags and handles in your notes so you can quickly copy and paste while tweeting.  We’re excited to live-tweet the presentation on Social Media Strategy with Mandy Kellogg Rye. It’s going to be entertaining and informative and it’s the perfect message for our Twitter audience.

We all want to get the most out of the Summit and still be present in the moment.  By planning ahead, you can minimize your time on your phone while still maximizing your connections and experience on social media.

We’d love for you to connect with us at @PlatefulSolns on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  We can’t wait to #connectcollaboratecreate with you in person and online!