Twitter for charities - an introduction

Twitter for charities 9 July, 2009 Ra ch e l Be e r, b e au t if u l wo r ld

What is Twitter? ... and so much more! ‘What are you doing?’ doesn’t begin to cover it

What is Twitter? ‘A combination of messaging and social networking’ Jack Schofield, The Guardian

It’s simple You’re simply typing and ‘posting’ a message of 140 characters Each message is called a ‘tweet’ When you’re sending messages, you’re ‘tweeting’

It’s public Anyone, anywhere in the world, can see your tweets - provided they have a PC or mobile with Internet access

People use Twitter to... Share ideas news and opinions thoughts about things they are interested in feelings about things they care about and - sometimes - what they are doing!

But most of all to... Connect with people they have something in common with with brands they share values with with causes and issues they care about

Follow and be followed Follow people and organisations you share interests, missions or values with They will follow you back It could be the start of a beautiful friendship!

Twitter is... Like being at huge party where there are some people you already know and all sorts of people you’ve haven’t met yet

Twitter is... Social Personal Fast Flexible Something different to everyone

Twitter isn’t... A marketing channel Somewhere to broadcast Somewhere to press release to A ‘cold list’ All about you

Beneﬁts of Twitter Are entirely what you make them! You ‘get what you give’ - the more you engage and share, the more you’ll benefit Huge potential to engage with people that care about your cause across the UK - and the world

Beneﬁts of Twitter The ability to influence journalists, politicians, policy makers, funders and celebrities engage with stakeholders, donors, campaigners, members, volunteers & advocates

Unbelievably... You can do all of this without paying a thing!

Who is using it well? Most charities you might expect And many you might not!

Bullying UK

Mara Triangle

Top tips from t weeting charities Crowdsourced from charities, specialist consultants and agency people at the last NFPtweetup...

Your Twitter proﬁle If you don’t already have one, reserve your user name on Twitter now! (and on any new services as soon as you become aware of them). Include who's tweeting, mission statement, good URL, take some time to craft the message. Make it easy for interested people to find you by making your bio clear and including searchable keywords. Utilise your profile background - add a photo and further info.

Tools & applications Try them out and keep experimenting with new ones. Use Twitpic - maybe post a 'pic of the day'. Try with Audioboo and video for immediate and authentic voice. Use URL shorterners - e.g. bit.ly. Use a Twitter client - e.g. Tweetdeck. Monitor who’s talking about you - samepoint.com, monitter.com. Try Twollars - for turning social capital into real currency. Twitter can lead to your blog... and teach you to blog more succinctly!

Who to follow? Other charities, companies and people that use Twitter well - and steal their ideas! People with an interest in your cause - find them using Twitter Search, Monitter, TweetDeck etc. Famous people - you get interesting information and subjects. Aim for quality not quantity.

Developing your ‘voice’ Try tweeting as yourself before you tweet as/ for your charity. Constantly drip your charity’s mission into your tweets. It is marketing - of sorts - but do it in a more personal, engaging way. Talk to colleagues to about what they want to use Twitter for. Is what you're tweeting about really engaging and interesting? Take a step back, be critical and ask yourself whether you would really want to follow your Twitterstream. Bend other people's ideas to the needs of your brands. Learn by using. If something doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Tweets are quite transitory and will pass a lot of people by without them noticing. If you muck something up, don't be afraid to say so.

Buy-in and management Overcome resistance to getting internal buy-in by collecting and sharing evidence and success stories - including anecdotal. Someone at your charity to that’s interested in the medium and already uses it personally should manage your Twitter account. Become a 'mini expert' within your organisation and be prepared to make, and prove, the case.

Building social capital Be where other people are - check buzzing/ trending topics and memes Twitter does not stand alone - use it in conjunction with other social media and your website/ s Search for relevant brands, organisations and conversations, join in and make friends! Look at dwell time on your website for people coming from Twitter (quality of traffic) and see how this relates to your activity Map your retweeting reach and the spread of information Find ambassadors/ cheerleaders for your brand Championing change - mobilising very keen supporters. Use their network and encourage them to take actions (e.g. pass this on)

And remember... Be genuine and authentic Tweet about things that are important to your charity, and that you're excited about Your tweets are likely to be seen across to the world - not just the UK You can't see and tweet everything or be on Twitter all the time It's all just communication. We've all been doing that for years! It's not really different just because you're using social media

Meet other charities using Twitter Share knowledge, experiences and tips FREE to attend Come along in person, or take part online - or both! Next event: 5.30pm on 24 September, Breast Cancer Care, Southwark

Keep up to date by: following @NFPtweetup on Twitter checking and subscribing to updates: www.nfptweetup.org.uk becoming a fan on Facebook joining the group on LinkedIn

twitter.com/rachelbeer twitter.com/beautifulw rachel@hellobeautifulworld.com www.hellobeautifulworld.com Fo ll o w me o n Tw it te r !

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Twitter for charities - an introduction

by Rachel Beer on Jan 23, 2010

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