Castle consumer PR VP Hilary Allard was a panelist on the recent Techmunch conference in New York. Below are her thoughts from the show.
I was excited to speak on the PR panel at the recent Techmunch event during Internet Week in New York. This one-day seminar is intended to provide food bloggers with advice and information on how to build their personal brands and market their blogs.
Journalists, established bloggers and marketers all participated, covering a broad range of topics such as SEO tips, leveraging traditional media and building community.
Two powerful lessons emerged from the conference:
Take online relationships off-line: Like any relationship, ultimately, the best ones have plenty of face time – think of those clients with whom you meet on a regular basis or the time you spend talking at the family dinner table.
Techmunch provided me with the opportunity to make new friends, meet people I had only connected with via Twitter, and to see people with whom I communicate off-line on a regular basis.
Social media allows us to connect to people we might never meet otherwise, but it’s up to us to solidify those relationships and take them to the next level.
Share and share alike: We all know that people can fall victim to online “oversharing,” but it struck me at Techmunch that journalists, bloggers and marketers were sitting at the same table and telling their stories with candor – the difficulties of marketing budgets in today’s economy, the challenges for journalists managing career transitions, the struggles of finding one’s way from being a hobbyist to full-time blogger.
Five years ago, I would never have imagined that. But the elements of social media that level the playing field, create connections and open possibilities, combined with our collective economic hopes and fears stirred up by the last two years, have created an attitude of collaboration among previously disparate “tribes.” Being united by a common love of food and blogging doesn’t hurt, either.
To learn more about the panelists at Techmunch, visit http://techmunchnyc.eventbrite.com.
To learn more about event sponsor Bakespace, a social networking site for food lovers, visit www.BakeSpace.com.
Two-Way Street 