Twitter isn’t just a place for popstars and politicians – charities can also benefit from using the social network. Follow these steps to become a tip-top tweeter
With 500 million users worldwide, and the reach and influence to flout super injunctions, Twitter is a force to be reckoned with. It has become a well-established tool in the charity sector, and if your organisation isn’t on Twitter yet, it should be, because it’s a vital means of fundraising, campaigning and marketing.
When getting to grips with Twitter, it can seem a little daunting at first, so following some simple rules will help your organisation make the most of the benefits it offers.
1. Decide who you want to reach.
Before you start tweeting, think about which of your charity’s stakeholder groups you want to follow. For example, you might want to connect with donors, service users, or MPs. It’s a good idea to sit down with whoever looks after your marketing to discuss your audience, mapping out who you want to talk to on Twitter. My top tip here is to be ambitious. Twitter can offer you a quick way to begin valuable relationships. A charity CEO who I know recently tweeted an MP concerning an issue her charity was campaigning on, and he asked a question in parliament about it the very same day.
2. Work out what you want to achieve from tweeting.
Never start tweeting just because you feel you have to. Go back to your organisational strategy, as well as your fundraising and marketing strategies, and plan how your use of Twitter can support what you are trying to achieve. Then set some objectives. I’d keep them quite broad, as the beauty of Twitter is its versatility. Savvy charities don’t just use it to broadcast key messages; they use it to listen to their stakeholders, engage in conversations and raise funds.
3. Decide what success looks like.
It can be very tempting to chase numbers here, e.g. ‘We must have 10,000 followers by the end of 2013.’ But ask yourself what those numbers really mean. On Twitter, quality of engagement rather than quantity is what matters. There are some great free tools out there to help you measure this. Twitalyzer can help you measure your potential reach based on who you interact with on Twitter, whilst Crowdbooster can track follower growth and top retweeters. Hashtracking is excellent for measuring the reach of any hashtags that you create. There is no one-size-fits-all tool here, and only you know what is best for your organisation, and what data you would find most helpful. My advice would be to sign up to a few free tools and decide what you find useful.
4. Consider how you’ll tweet on a day-to-day basis.
Now that you’ve set your Twitter strategy, it’s time to think about how it will work operationally. Who will be tweeting? If you can’t decide who is best placed to do this, I’d suggest a permanent member of staff who is passionate about what your charity stands for. They don’t necessarily have to be senior. If you have a number of people who will be tweeting, you’ll need to work out how they can work together effectively, avoiding pitfalls such as duplicating content. Then there is the question of how often you’ll tweet and what topics you’ll tweet about. Again, there are no hard and fast rules here, but I’d suggest that you should be tweeting on most days, and have a rich and varied range of topics and links to share with your followers.
5. Plan how you’ll use Twitter to fundraise.
There are many ways to do this. For example, you could use Twitter to highlight your latest appeal, or draw attention to case studies or particular fundraising events. Twitter can also offer good corporate fundraising opportunities. I recently brought in a partnership with a major corporate by connecting with them on Twitter and LinkedIn.
6. Integrate Twitter with your other channels.
To maximise their impact, content and messages need to be consistent across all your communications, including social media. Twitter is brilliant for getting news out there quickly. And integrating offline and online can really help your organisation’s brand punch above its weight. For example, if you’re running a fundraising event, it’s a great idea to have someone tweeting from it. Don’t forget to set up a hashtag and tell the people at your event what it is.
7. Be yourself.
Getting your organisational tone of voice on Twitter right is key. Social media is a warm medium, so being friendly and informal will help build relationships with your followers. There’s no harm in the occasional chatty tweet about cake in the office.
8. Finally, enjoy it.
Social media is evolving rapidly, and some trial and error is inevitable for the organisations that use it. Just get stuck in and enjoy.
Zoe Amar is head of marketing and business development at Lasa. You can follow her on Twitter at @zoeamar