Tweeting for Your Nonprofit-Seven things to consider before starting

another great article from fellow strategic consultant Liz Vibber

Having just attended a Roundtable discussion on the basics of using Twitter for nonprofit development directors, I was struck by the potential this medium has. Of course, on the flipside, I was also struck by what a huge time drain Social Media can be—with no benefit—if you don’t invest the time in creating a following for your messages.

So where does this leave one who is interested in using this medium? Here are my Seven Things to Consider:
1. First things first-create a policy. If you’re Tweeting on your own, this probably isn’t necessary-but if you’re a large organization and you are encouraging your staff to Tweet on your behalf, consider a policy that set Tweeting guidelines on number of Tweets and content.
2. Make sure you have something useful to say. Tweeting for the sake of Tweeting gets old very fast. Most people aren’t interested in knowing that the Barista of your favorite coffee shop make your latte ‘fat’ not ‘skinny’
3. Know how much is enough. I follow one guy who must Tweet 8-10 times a day…I keep following him because every once in a while he has a nice piece that is interesting. But I’m still annoyed because he clogs up my Twitter and I may soon ‘unfollow’ him as a result.
4. Know what is not enough. If you’re going to the trouble of creating a Twitter, securing a following and finding thoughtful things to Tweet, don’t lag for weeks at a time. Try to Tweet at least once a week.
5. Manage Your Tweets. Use a tool such as TweetDeck or HootSuite to manage your Followees and Followers. These tools will also allow you to track Tweets with key words or know when someone mentions or re-Tweets you. I was especially pleased to get a Thank you from a nonprofit group who recognized that I re-Tweeted them.
6. Create a following. You have to let people know you’re out there. Thoughtfully include the ‘follow me’ button on your e-mails and organization’s website.
7. Twitter is but 1. There are many social media tools out there, and more new ones coming soon. Consider the other tools at your disposal-FaceBook, Linked-In, etc. Another advantage of TweetDeck and HootSuite is they will carry your Tweets to these other mediums so you don’t have to post the same thing in multiple places.

With these things in mind, go ahead and get started. But remember, there is so much to learn everyday so keep reading and looking for opportunities to expand your knowledge base.