Bridget Willard and Jen Miller are joined by Justine Pretorious to discuss Marketing hacks to build community connections at a WordCamp.

Tweeting as WCLAX by Bridget Willard

WordCamp marketing is not like regular event marketing – it’s a very different culture

Knowing where your audience exists is important – WordPress users are very active on twitter

Justine originally wanted nothing to do with Twitter and didn’t start using it until she was asked to tweet on the business account for her employer

Bridget really connected with the WordPress community and met people from the community because of Twitter

Volunteering enhances your experience in the WordPress community because it connects you to the people who are most involved – it is a gateway and allows you to put your skills to work

Justine moved from Truckee to Portland and found the local WordCamp and volunteered herself to do their social media

Jen Miller first connected with the WordPress community through volunteering at WordCamp Orange County

Make sure when you post to twitter, especially from a WordPress site, that you use a good image and use featured images on your post! It’s a huge part of good marketing.

Canva is a good option if you don’t have Photoshop – they offer layouts and pre-defined sizing

Make sure to use a 1200 x 628 featured image in every post or page on your WordPress site

You can see what facebook (open graph images) will render when you use the facebook debugger tool https://developers.facebook.com/tools-and-support/

For WordCamps it’s important to remember there are pre-”game” components and post-game – you should still be tweeting & covering those events – the camp doesn’t end when the last session closes!

Keep the love going during non-camp times by tweeting other local WordPress Meetups and events – keeps your logo and account in front of people even when you don’t have something going on

Don’t forget to keep “hospitality” in mind – make it easier for the new people – share tips. Give important information to help everyone feel welcome, answer questions during the event.

Before the event, tweet out as much information as possible, location, snacks/meal info, what to expect, what to bring (and what you shouldn’t), and lots of general advice

If you are going to sponsor and be at a WordCamp, make sure you follow the main twitter account, start talking about it several months in advance, talk about your team who is going, help promote the event by sharing info, hashtag and document your time at the WordCamp

Put the WordCamp speakers and attendees on twitter lists so that you and others can follow along without getting overwhelmed

Bridget: Dear WordCamp speakers:

Update your gravatar with your current image with all your relevant info (make sure your photo looks like you!!)

Give your current twitter handle and make yourself easy to find

Include your twitter handle on your presentation slides – people want to help promote you!

Announce speakers before you sell tickets if at all possible – people need to know why they are buying tickets

Tweet about speakers with photos and make sure you include their bios/photos on your site

Every WordCamp has it’s own unique culture – try to include some of that culture and local color in your marketing tweets – “Local SEO” – share what makes your area / camp unique!

Doing teasers of the content in your presentation is a great way to build up interest and get people to come to your talk! Share selfies – it helps people to feel more connected, like they know you.

Tweet during the sessions that you attend and share valuable information (with attribution) – especially quotes

Many WordPress companies recruit (some even exclusively) at WordCamps – if you want to get noticed, be tweeting and share valuable quotes and information

If you’re looking for a social media guru for your WordCamp – pay attention to the people in your community that are active on social media, or even attend a social media networking event

Create countdowns for social media to build up excitement and engagement in your audience, can include featured speaker profiles, fun facts, local info and more

Schedule out tweets to be sent as each of the speakers are about to get on stage at your WordCamp and mix with live tweets during the event

Thanks for the show notes

Cheryl LaPrade – @YayCheryl

Sherie LaPrade – @HeySherie