W hether i t ' s an industr y t rade show, a big press conference or a publ ic e vent, organiz at ions and brands are �nding that the y need to cover i t

much l ike a journal ist would. Using an assor tment of socia l media tools and smar t de vices , here 's how your coverage c an be heard above the noise.

Choose your device

Choose your apps/channels

L ive-event reporting using social media tools

1:

2:

Smartphone: a Net-ready phone ( iPhone, Android,

Blackberry, Windows Mobile) , preferably with

a high mega-pixel camera and

video recorder

Camera: a digi tal SLR that can

capture the news-makers and atmosphere

of an event

Video recorder:

A handheld camera that can capture short

video interviews

for sharing images on-the-go with your

community

INSTAGRAM

Intel l igence in S ocia l Media

to sync updates across mult iple channels

( i .e. , Twit ter, Facebook, Posterous blog) with a few taps

TWEETDECK TUMBLR/POSTEROUS

a blog to post longer- form stories

the RSS feed also creates Podcast-

speci f ic feeds

FLICKR YOUTUBE

Assemble an editorial team: Assign each with specif ic tasks3:A photographer (Fl ickr) to snap photos;

A roving reporter to post updates on the f ly (Twit ter, Facebook, Tweetdeck)

A roving reporter who can conduct long-form interviews (blog) or video interviews (YouTube, Facebook)

An editor to coordinate, edi t , oversee al l content created, and post occasional summarizing updates (Facebook), plus respond to fol lowers, fans

think l ike a photo-journal is t : a picture

tel ls a thousand words

video interviews

for t imely updates and photos,

before during and af ter an event

TWITTER

Digital audio: recorder:

for podcast-ready reports

FACEBOOK to keep your fans involved

Note: a s ingle person can handle

FEEDBURNER

mult iple duties, but i t 's always best to have back-up

-- i .e. , an edi tor who can step in when technology

fal ters temporari ly or who can cast a second pair of

eyes on al l updates or posts .

Post-event fol low-up

Decide on your Editorial Strategy4:

Pre-event Planning is Key5:

7:

Assemble team to discuss what newsworthy information you wil l need to cover. Set up an editorial calendar.

Write a comprehensive fol low-up blog post summarizing the event. I f there are photos, create an album that you can share with your fol lowing. Lots of data? Think infographic or chart icle.

Did you meet interest ing people, companies? Acknowledge them and their work pub-l icly on your Facebook, Twit ter channels and, where applicable, in the blog.

Post-event analysis . Cal l in the team to discuss what worked/what didn't .

Capital ize on the event coverage buzz. This is good momentum to grow your fol lower ranks.

Live-reporting 6 :

Impact: the most impactful report ing is t imely, detai led, accurate and newsworthy.

Interview members of the public. Don't confine your reportage to your "boss" or company of f icials . Your readers wil l want to hear what people outside the company think too.

Mix i t up. Use Tweets for quick news updates, blog posts for more in-depth report ing, plus videos and photo reportage to tel l a complicated s tory ( i .e. , a new car launch)

Don't forget : have fun report ing! Your readers wil l not ice and appreciate i t , and wil l be more l ikely to share your reportage with f r iends.

Intel l igence in S ocia l Media

Do an in-the-f ield test-run with your devices and social media channels

Big events come with their own Twit ter hashtag. Is there one speci f ic to your event? I f not , create one and let everyone know well in advance.

Tel l your community in advance where they can f ind your report ing. Remind them often

Get them involved early. Ask what they'd l ike to learn/see f rom the event coverage

Researc hed and produ c e d b y S ocial Med ia In�u e nc e Socia l Media In�uence o�ers workshops, bespoke tra ining and

eLearning sess ions on socia l media content creat ion. For more detai l , v i s i t http://socia lmediain�uence.com/tra ining/ @socia l in�uence

Here are things you'l l need to do beforehand: