Is your Twitter profile follow-worthy? Or are you unknowingly turning people away, leaving them confused or unimpressed?

Your Twitter profile very is different from many other social profiles. On Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks, you have lots of space for your bio, links, and other elements.

Not so with Twitter:

• Limited space: Twitter allows for one link, a small profile picture, and a very short bio. In this sense, your Twitter profile is like a business card. You have limited space to make a solid first impression.
• Limited time: You also have just a few seconds to convince people to follow you (or not). Influencers with a large Twitter following are too busy to spend time deciding whether they should follow you or not.

With all this working against you, here are 5 simple ways you can spruce up your Twitter profile to make a better first impression:

1. Update your Twitter profile picture

It’s best to use a picture of something people can connect with. For example a person, animal, or a place.

An immediately recognizable logo is also good, for example Creative Commons:

Also, because profile pictures are so small, design one that uses contrast (colors and shapes) to stand out in Twitter feeds.

2. Update your Twitter profile bio

Most Twitter users regularly search Twitter using specific keywords. Search results include the top profiles that match that search, followed by top tweets.

Make sure your bio includes the most relevant keywords. For example, FightCRC ranks number one when users search for “colorectal cancer cure”:

3. Update your Twitter profile link

Make sure the link drives traffic to a web page on your site, and not just the homepage. For example, an upcoming event, or a welcome page that includes your top tweets.

My Twitter profile link sends visitors to an email subscription page.

4. Update your Twitter profile header

Use your Twitter header to tell a story about your cause, or highlight your current campaign. For example, HRC highlights the current TransBan

You can create a beautiful Twitter header with Canva.com.

5. Pin your best Tweet to your Twitter profile

Make your profile even more attractive by pinning your best Tweets to the top to your profile. For example, this tweet from Vermont Public Radio with a large number comments:

Make sure that you always review your pinned tweet, replacing it with one that’s more engaging, current, and relevant.

BONUS: Verify your Twitter profile

There may be other Twitter users talking about your cause that aren’t nonprofits, or aren’t even who they say they are.

But the blue checkmark (see below) on Twitter lets people know that your account is the real deal. It’s a stamp of instant credibility.

To verify your account, start here.

What next?

Check out these Twitter strategies that will never go out of style, and these pro tips from 25 experts.

The post 5 Simple Tips for a More Impressive Twitter Profile appeared first on Socialbrite.

I’ve been getting so many questions, and there’s been so much interest in this new app from the nonprofit community, that I thought posting this video Q and A would be an additional way to get the Persicope basics down, as well as some best practices and ideas on how your nonprofit can put Periscope to work.

Is your nonprofit using Periscope? Let me know in the comments! I’m doing a series of early case studies on Periscope for Nonprofts, and would love to feature how your nonprofit is leveraging Periscope for social or environmental good.

The post (VIDEO) Leveraging Periscope App for Social Good appeared first on Socialbrite.

As a follow-up to my Periscope for Nonprofits Quick Guide, I wanted to focus on real Nonprofit Periscopers, and how they’re using this new tool for social good.

Today, I’m featuring Jennifer Tislerics, the Special Events & Partnerships Coordinator for Gift of Life Michigan. Gift of Life Michigan coordinates organ and tissue donations from deceased donors for the state. Jennifer also handles social media, youth outreach, faith-based programs, workplace outreach, and more.

As a refresher, Periscope is a three month-old, free mobile app that allows any user to live stream from wherever they are. Jennifer bravely responded to our call out for ‘Nonprofit Periscopers’ and she had a lot of great advice to offer in our Q & A.

1) What made you want to try out Periscope? Was it a strategic move as part of a larger social strategy, or did you want to experiment with the app first to see if it would work for your nonprofit?

I saw the Michigan Secretary of State staff using Periscope at a press conference during National Donate Life Month in April. (In Michigan our Secretary of State oversees the DMV, and helps coordinate the state’s organ donor registry.) It seemed like an easy way to engage a broader audience in an event. I watched a few other broadcasts on the iPad and was intrigued by the possibilities to engage distant supporters in real-time. I decided to experiment with it a bit, to see how it might benefit our organization and cause.

2) What event did you use Periscope for?

In late April I used Periscope at a kick-off breakfast event for an annual walk/run event. I plan to use it again at the actual walk/run in late July.

3) What was the experience like? Did you get good feedback from users? Take us through your steps.

It was a rough start, actually. One of the biggest lessons I learned is to use a tripod and get up close to the action – do not carry the iPad around or video from the back of the room. At least not at a seated event – I will probably move around some at the walk/run event. I accidentally stopped the video early (bad finger placement holding the iPad), so had to start fresh with a new video, which our Twitter followers may not have found. Actually, I did a few shorter-than-intended videos. The ones with the most audience traffic had short but interesting titles, which made our video stand out from the crowd.

4) What was engagement like?

Not nearly as many people watched the videos as I had hoped, but it was early on a work-day morning. It was fun to see people in the real-life audience following on Periscope, too, and sending us hearts and positive comments!

5) What did you learn? Any tips to share?

Practice first! Practice on-site. Make sure you’ve got a solid internet connection. Use a tripod. Prepare a few people to talk to you on video beforehand. Promote it in advance so people know to follow you on Twitter to get the link (and any new links you may create after accidentally cutting the video short).

6) What worked and what didn’t? What would you like to see improved?

I wish we could “add on” or continue a previous video, rather than having to create a new one if we accidentally stop the first video. It’s tough typing in a new title in a hurry, trying to rush and get online again. In general, I think Periscope viewers prefer interactive videos rather than “broadcasts” of speeches, although when we video’d a Michigan Supreme Court Justice speaking that got some audience attention!

7) Would you use Periscope again?

Definitely! I plan to at our walk/run on July 25 in Detroit.

8) Did you download the broadcast?

No, I didn’t feel I got a high enough quality video to make that worthwhile. This time.

9) Do you see yourself adding it to your social media strategy?

Yes, if these first few experiences prove successful, or at least promising, we will incorporate it into our strategy.

10) Anything else you want to tell me that I didn’t ask?

Follow @giftoflifemich on Twitter the morning of Saturday, July 25 to get links to our Periscope video(s) and send me feedback! I’m always open to suggestions for improvement.

We will definitely do that, Jennifer, and we’ll send you tons of Periscope hearts for all the great work you are doing at Gift of Life Michigan! Thank you for sharing your Periscope experience with us.

Photo courtesy of Gift of Life Michigan

PS – I will be featuring nonprofits and NGOs using Periscope on this blog, so please let me know in the comments below of any npos you know that are using Periscope to engage their supporters.

The post Nonprofit Case Study: Periscope for Nonprofits appeared first on Socialbrite.

1. Try to include an image in your tweets. Twitter is like looking out the window of a fast moving train. If you insert insert a “billboard” (photo or graphic image) tweet, people will notice it.-  Noland Hoshino
2. Always, always check your links!–  Jenn Johnson
3. For every self serving post you tweet…engage with one of your constituents. Michael Dougherty
4. Don’t let your tweets devolve to mere “press releases.” Experiment with your nonprofit’s voice so that you can be interesting to those who choose to follow you.-  Marc A. Pitman
5. Write specific thank you messages to your supporters along with their twitter handles during online fundraising efforts. More likely than not they’ll retweet you and expand your campaign’s reach.-  Mark Hallman

1. Schedule 15 mins in the morning, afternoon and evening to spend time on Twitter actively engaging with others content, not just promoting our own. Be visual; use properly sized images to grab attention and experiment with 30 second videos, such as interviews with staff, donors and volunteers — or a trailer for a longer video linking to your website. And create Twitter Lists to more easily manage organizational partners, staff Twitter accounts, influencers, press and others related to your work to make it easier to cut through the noise and focus on those you most want to engage with. –  Chris Tuttle
2. Spend 15-30 minutes, twice a day (with a timer; gets you focused). Segment, balance out your tweets, respond to everyone. Finally, empower your supporters to engage on Twitter on your behalf by including pre-written tweets in your emails. – Pamela Grow
3. I love Twitter for media relations. Follow all the reporters and producers as individuals, in addition to the official accounts, for your target media, put them in a list and check it frequently to see if they are working on stories related to your work. Pass on good news tips to them too, not just from your org, but from your field in general. Kivi Leroux Miller
4. Master hashtags. Tweets with hashtags usually get more engagement. Use tools such as Twitonomy, Ritetag and Hashtagify.me to research relevant tags for your audience and combine them in smart ways. Monitor your key hashtags to help you find new people and engage in relevant conversations. And hashtags aren’t just for Twitter – think event signage, emails, advertisements. – Kerri Karvetski 
5. Always, always research hashtags before you use them – something that may seem benign may be used by people with whom you shouldn’t associate your brand. – Nora Brathol
6. Really think through hashtags you create for a campaign – how might it be coopted? And will that be ok? – Gurukarm Kaur Khalsa
7. Segment those you follow into lists. Put those you follow you care most about interacting with, keeping up with, and cultivating into lists so that you can focus on those relationships and their news. Import those lists into your Twitter app (Tweetdeck, Hootsuite), and judiciously cultivate and interact with your list using the app. It makes Twitter manageable, fun, and easy to use! Debra Askanase
8. Segment prospects into columns so you can stalk them! Joe Waters
9. When tweeting your content, experiment with sharing it more than once, each time with a different approach. Variations include: share just the headline, write a tweet in an alternate engaging format (e.g. ask a question, quote a juicy bit), add an image, try a new hashtag, share at a different time of day or on the weekend, or add ICYMI (in case you missed it). – Lauren Girardin
10. Don’t be so quick to jump onto trends and memes — they usually *aren’t* the right way to engage your community. If you would roll your eyes at your meme tweet if it came from another org, don’t post it. – Jenna Sauber
11. Welcome your new Twitter followers and thank people for tweeting and really respond to people. – Beth Kanter
12. Craft a balanced mix of tweets totally from you, about other’s content with your spin and links to others’ content. And don’t be afraid to throw in an occasional wildcard when you feel like it — good to have a personality even if EVERYONE doesn’t like it. Some always will! – Nancy E. Schwartz
13. Find and participate in Twitter Chats in your segment or related segments. It is a great way for you to connect with people that might have an interest in what you do. And related to that, use a personal touch, let people know who they are talking with from the organization’s account. – Kami Watson Huyse
14. Respond to everyone – EVERYONE. In a timely manner. For us it’s 24 hours. Set up monitoring for those that tweet their donation and thank every person. Don’t just respond to people who tag you – monitor convos about your brand throughout the twitter sphere. For example, many people call us the “American Humane Society”. So we monitor that phrase and engage accordingly. – Carie Lewis Carlson
15. Find your audience by looking through your followers’ lists including those they put you on. Follow the breadcrumbs. Oh and take part in Twitter chats. – Maddie Grant
16. Make your tweets short enough so RTs can add a comment to make it more meaningful to their Followers. Short and sweet is the key! – David Krumlauf
17. Optimize your bio with keywords and use a scheduling tool like Hootsuite to pre-schedule content so you can focus on real-time engagement. – Melanie Mathos
18. Learn about your followers, what they like and do so you can create content that is relevant to them. – Janet Fouts
19. Look at your new followers a few times a day. Often very influential people will follow, but rarely to they say “hello” when they do. – Mark Horvath
20. Don’t waste time engaging with users who don’t have strong networks. Use Klout score to prioritize influencers. Use the Klout filter in Hootsuite, and the Klout browser extension which displays Klout scores when using Twitter.com. – John Haydon

What else would you add?

The post 25 Nonprofit Twitter tips from the pros appeared first on Socialbrite.

Post by Gemma McNeil-Walsh

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises

If you were to ask me what my most useful resource during a three-year undergraduate development studies degree has been, I think the answer might surprise you: Twitter. Although I initially joined Twitter so that I could join in on my housemates’ banter about cupcakes and Ryan Gosling (don’t judge), I quickly found Twitter to be an invaluable professional and career development resource. I decided to leave the Ryan Gosling banter to Facebook, the pictures of cupcakes to Instagram, and came to see Twitter as a ‘rolling online CV’.

Through Twitter I have been approached and invited to a coffee meeting to discuss a new business venture; I’ve been recruited for freelance work at a national newspaper; and I’ve been sent a film that I went on to screen at my university. My housemate (also a development student) even connected to a journalist at the Guardian through Twitter, and was interviewed for an article that was published on the website. While I am by no means a social media expert, I thought I would share here some top tips on getting the most out of the Twittersphere.

1. Get your profile right

It needs to include the serious stuff (such as your current degree or place of work etc.), but don’t forget to make yourself sound human (put in one of your other interests or a quirky fact about yourself). See examples here.

2. Don’t just retweet

It’s important to inject some of your own voice into your Twitter feed, so don’t just rely on retweets or on tweeting out links or article headlines (although obviously do that too) – aim for something like 70% pure retweets, 30% tweets that you have either written yourself or altered.

3. Live-tweet

For me, the best way to interact with people or to gain followers has been to live-tweet from events, conferences, talks and panel discussions. Jump on the event hashtag, tweet some of the best things the speaker is saying, and make sure to interact with other people who are tweeting from the event.

4. Research hashtags

Make sure you only use hashtags that you know other people are already using. Don’t go making up bespoke hashtags à la Instagram (#yolo #internlife #unayyy). Before using a hashtag, click on its feed to make sure it’s active – basically, you want to make sure it’s worth using some of your precious 140 characters on. Talking of hashtags, the Guardian Global Development Professionals Network (@GuardianGDP) tweet out a daily hashtag (#hashtagoftheday), which is always worth checking out. Another important point is to limit how many you use – more than five hashtags significantly decreases the likelihood of someone interacting (clicking on, favouriting or sharing) with your tweet.

5. Watch what you tweet

If you imagine your Twitter page as a rolling online CV, you automatically become more aware of what you allow on to your feed. There’s nothing wrong with Tweeting comments of a more personal nature (it makes you a more interesting person), but being too controversial or offensive is only going to draw attention to your feed for the wrong reasons.

6. Follow academics

This one is probably a little biased given that I am technically still a student, but there are some academics who are very active on Twitter and who are well worth following (try Laura Hammond and Chris Blattman for example). Of course, make sure to tailor this to your own area of interest so that the issues they are talking about, or the research they point you to, is relevant.

7. Get favoriting!

Twitter can often be an overwhelming space of information, so the ‘favourite’ button is a really useful tool. Use it to bookmark anything that you see that may be of interest or of use, but which you want to come back to later. When I’m writing essays or preparing for exams, I often stock up on these resources and then go back through them to find what might be most relevant.

8. Don’t be afraid to engage

Twitter is much like the real world – people like to interact, and they like to know your reactions and opinions on things! They also love a good complement. So if you’ve read, or seen something that you liked – post it on Twitter and say what you liked about it (making sure to mention the original source). Even if people don’t get back to you on it, they’ll likely appreciate you for making the effort to Tweet about it. Similarly if people post questions, or shout-outs, on Twitter – reply to them (but only with something useful). That’s how my housemate got interviewed by the Guardian, and how I ended up contributing to this blog!

9. It’s another skill to add to the CV

Many entry-level jobs in development organisations are likely to be in PR or communications positions, and if you can showcase that you are an active user of Twitter you are automatically in a stronger position. If you think that your Twitter feed is a good reflection of you both as a person and as a potential employee (or let’s face it, intern), don’t be afraid to include the link on your CV. It will give people a unique insight into you – one that can’t be achieved on LinkedIn or on a two-page Word document.

If all of this seems like a lot of effort, I promise it tends to be worth it. For me, Twitter has been an equal playing field – despite being a lowly development undergraduate, Twitter has given me a platform to engage and interact with the development community and has brought my degree to life in a way that I don’t think other resources could have done. There are so many ways to get the most out of Twitter, and these 10 tips are just the beginning – please get in touch if you have more to add!

Quick links to get started on Twitter:

• Development Intern’s list of good accounts to follow (including: academics, bloggers, development news sources, job opportunities & our writers)

• WhyDev’s list of globaldev allstars

This originally appeared at DevelopmentIntern.

Gemma McNeil-Walsh is completing her undergraduate degree in development studies & economics at SOAS in London, and heading to the Oxford Internet Institute for her MSc in October. Interested in media, communication, Internet and ICTs on the African continent, she works in digital newspaper production, interns with SOAS Radio, and has spent the previous two summers working in Freetown, Sierra Leone on documentary and citizen journalism projects. Follow her on Twitter at @gemmcneil.

The post 9 tips for using Twitter to tap into #globaldev community appeared first on Socialbrite.

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, educators, journalists, general public.

Post by Nancy Schwartz
Nonprofit Marketing Problem Solver & Coach at Getting Attention.org

Pressure. You feel it. I feel it. Every nonprofit communicator and fundraiser out there feels it. Social media pressure, that is.

Whether the source of this anxiety (Am I keeping up? Do I have a billion Facebook likes or Twitter followers? Is my Instagram strategy driving action?) is your immediate boss, board chair, or colleague in programs, it’s there. The pressure to generate a social media miracle.

Breathe—There Is a Solution

You can boost marketing and fundraising impact, and you can deflate that pressure. Here’s how:

1.  Get to know your people. Research, via online survey or calls, where your current supporters are when it comes to social media.

2.  Use your marketing/fundraising plan to remind yourself exactly who your prospects are (the people who are most likely to take the actions that will drive your marketing or fundraising goals forward). Then, use your supporter research to project where similar prospect groups are on social media.

3.  Assess if and where to invest in social media, even if your organization has been there for years. Probe whether the most-used social media channels are useful in helping you achieve your broader goals. Ask yourself two questions: Does the interaction in that channel mesh with your calls to action and goals? Is your investment in each of the most-used channels likely to be profitable?

4.  Focus your energy and time on the single most-used channel, but only if the return on investment (ROI) seems to be there. Note: It will be far more effective to use one platform well, rather than use multiple platforms in a half-baked way. That’s been proven time and time again.

5.  Invest the time. Block out at least 30 minutes, twice daily, for social media if you are using just one platform. I urge you to get that one channel to work—or realize it’s the wrong one—before you take on another platform.

6.  Create some incremental benchmarks so you get a sense of how your investment is or is not paying off. That might be retweets and followers for Twitter or likes and shares for Facebook. Request that your colleagues ask those who do take action—to give, register, or spread the word—what influences sparked them along the way.

7.  Like or follow five to 10 colleague or competitive organizations on that channel, be it Facebook or Instagram. It’s important to see what folks who are competing for your supporters’ and prospects’ attention and dollars are doing. You can also find some relevant models by watching what organizations similar to yours in approach or issue—but not competing with you—are doing.

8.  Adapt your approach as needed on an ongoing basis. Build into your work plan an ongoing analysis of what is and isn’t working, a review of other organizations’ successes and failures, and a revision of your own approach. Social media, including websites and blogs, is a communications channel that requires ongoing evolution. Otherwise, don’t use it.

Take these steps to make your social media efforts meaningful and measurable for your nonprofit. How are you making social media matter for your cause? Chime in with your ideas below! Also, don’t miss Social Media for Nonprofits when this conference comes to Washington, DC on July 14. Register now with code “N4G” to save up to $30.

Nonprofit marketing consultant, speaker and coach Nancy Schwartz  rolls up her sleeves with contagious passion and refreshing practicality to help organizations like yours get attention and motivate giving, volunteering and more.

The post 8 ways to make social media matter appeared first on Socialbrite.

Find inducements & show them the payoff

This is the second part of a two-part series on making the case for your social media plan and initiatives. Also see:
• Getting your board on board with social media

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, social media managers.

Getting your board engaged and on board with social media can prove to be a challenging task at many nonprofits. But your board members want to make a difference and have a real-world impact, right? Otherwise, why are they there.

So we’ve assembled this short list of ways board members can help support your organizational goals via social media.

• It is important to start small with your social media requests and to frame their initial engagement with social media around organizational programs that they understand are important to support. For example, you might want to ask them to do three LinkedIn updates around your upcoming gala or benefit. It’s important to be very specific about the asks and have them understand what the end goals and deadlines are.

• Because their engagement will likely start off involving only specific programs or initiatives, it’s important to write messaging for them that they can easily share with their networks. Providing them with sample posts and engagement language is always a good idea and will increase the likelihood that it gets shared.

• You will want to encourage them to personalize the posts (you can write it out for them) by adding how excited they are about a particular program or event, and their personal thoughts about the content. This type of sharing is most effective because it goes beyond the reposting of organizational information but also includes the most important part: sharing their passion and enthusiasm with their influential network, which can be the hook their colleagues and friends need to learn more, donate, attend an event, or get involved somehow.

Opening the conversation about social media to your board

1Start with your social media plan and ensure that your CEO is clear on what you want and what you’ll be asking board members to do. Your CEO is the board’s default sounding board, so it’s important that s/he be clear and know what initiatives you’re proposing to them and how they can help.

2Before a board meeting, have a conversation with the board member you feel will be your greatest ambassador to the rest of the board. This person could be either the head of your board’s communications committee or, if there is none, just a person who you know is already a good messenger or advocate. Talk to this board member about your plans for board participation and ask them for feedback. This way you can anticipate concerns and questions early, and then you already have a de facto board advisor, which boards like since they generally appreciate being consulted with.

3At the board meeting, ask the board ambassador to sit with you and support you during the presentation, perhaps leading a part of the discussion that centers on how board members can take initiative. These types of conversations can have greater sticking power and impact when coming from a board peer instead of a staff person. Also, board members can apply peer pressure in a way that communications staff cannot.

4Discuss a first set of initiatives (perhaps for the upcoming quarter) and explain to them how and when you will be reaching out to them for support. Explain to them the benefits of their outreach and how you all plan to learn and benefit from these experiences.

5Follow up and send a thank you email. Then promptly follow up with something they can add support to. Use your board ambassador to send out a message and showcase their “share” with the other board members. Gentle peer pressure can be a useful tool.

6Let them know that you’ll be following up periodically to see how the outreach has been working. Explore ways they can evolve their outreach that matches their comfort level and advances your communications and social media goals.

Social media outlets for board members to focus on

• LinkedIn. LinkedIn is one of the most promising social media outlets for use by board members. You’ll find that most board members have a LinkedIn account, with some board members using it with more frequency than others. Either way, it’s an outlet that most are familiar with and it has a great ability to immediately reach their network.

• Facebook. Facebook can be a great personal tool since you’ll find many board members using Facebook to connect with colleagues, friends and family. Many nonprofit leaders also use Facebook in their professional capacity. So encourage them to post via Facebook as a way to connect their networks of friends and colleagues to your organization. It’s important to be selective on which items you ask them to post, but encourage them to personalize, personalize, personalize. They’ll get a higher degree of engagement and responsiveness.

• Twitter. Twitter is a great tool to connect with other organizations, potential partners, journalists, thought leaders, and influencers. It will be helpful to find out which of your board members can retweet for you and tag other thought leaders or influencers in their networks who would benefit from the post.

•Blogging. A great goal around blogging is to encourage board members to write at least one blog post per year. The post could be tied to initiatives you are trying to support or could be a way to generate new supporters. The title of the post could simply be along
the lines of, “Why I got involved in XYZ organization and why you should, too.” It’s a powerful way for you and them to recruit new supporters and even take that first step in helping them outline ways they can start a conversation with potential new board members or donors.

• Email marketing. Do your board members already do outreach to their networks via your fundraising team? If they do, they should be including your organization’s social networks at the bottom of their emails.

Engaging board members in social media can be a bit of a hot topic. Have you asked your board members to engage in your organization’s social media efforts? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!

The post How to entice your board into the social media waters appeared first on Socialbrite.

Interact with your audience for maximum impact

This is another entry in our ongoing series on effective use of Twitter.

Target audience: Nonprofits, NGOs, cause organizations, social enterprises, businesses, brands, bloggers, marketers, social media managers, individuals.

Guest post by Valerie J. Wilson

Tweets are a fantastic way to draw kindness and attention to a cause that matters. The key is to engage with your audience and to get them to respond. The more followers you have, the stronger your brand and awareness will be. The goal is for your followers to collect their posse and join efforts to create an even bigger impact.

Read on to learn about the most effective tips that will gain fellowship and followers.

Establish your objective

1Once you know what your objective is, you’ll be able to cater your Twitter account to accomplish the task at hand. There are lots of different types of accounts, but the two most common for organizations are for a) fundraising and b) information and awareness. Once your goal is clear to your team, you’ll be able to clarify that objective to followers.

Make it personal

2Post pictures, personal details of you, your workers, your volunteers, and your followers. Logos are good; pictures of people are far, far better.

Follow people and organizations that are important to your cause

3Success on Twitter is not defined by the number of followers an account has. This is probably the most common mistake people make. Reach out to people and organizations that can (and probably will) get behind your ideas and objectives — that is far more important than the number of followers posted on your account status.

Keep it loose

4This is Twitter! Drop your insecurities about your high school English grade at the door. Keep it loose, fun, and just let it all hang out. Of course, consider your targeted demographic and cater your language and tone to that group. But loose and easy should be the vibe you’re going for.

Share your success

5Draw attention to upcoming benefits or awards that have been achieved by providing links to inspiring photos that help to tell your story. This will lend credibility to your cause, and this is a great way to increase the momentum of potential number of both donors and volunteers.

Ask them to join you

6Create a buzz by sharing the dates, times, and details of an upcoming Twitter chat, fundraiser, or an event for which they can volunteer. Make the process of getting involved easy.

Here’s the truth: So many people want to help, but they just don’t know how to get started. Your tweets need to make it easy to understand that any and all are welcome to do small, medium or large tasks.

Play the game

7We all do it, don’t we? We all turn to our social media to “take a work break.” For some, that means 10 minutes of “me time” after a long day. For others, it’s a little time away from the cubicle – while we’re sitting in the cubicle! Grab their attention by asking them to join the fun of a quick click of a trivia question. Dust off that old game of Trivial Pursuit, and have some fun.

Make it personal

8If you’re raising funds in support of a school event for your kids, ask your followers who their all-time favorite teacher was – and why. If it’s for an animal rescue establishment, ask what the name of their first pet was. The goal is to get them personally connected and to care about your mission. Once you make it matter to your reader – just watch the quality and impact of your followers escalate!

Build relationships

9Anyone in sales will tell you that the number one facet to being successful in sales – or almost any partnership or job – is building meaningful, trusting relationships.

Yes, you can do this through Twitter, as well. Reach out and connect with other like-minded people and organizations. Support causes that complement yours, and encourage the favor in return. People love the real deal; present yourself in the most authentic way possible. You’ll be entirely pleased with the results.

Many points of entry

10The more the better. Let people access your Twitter feed through your websites, signatures in your emails, your blog. Add as many ways to click into your feed as possible.

There is so much info out there to help you create the best Tweets possible. Claire Diaz-Ortiz has written one of my favorite books on creating a solid, successful Twitter following; in Twitter for Good, she gears a lot of her information toward the nonprofit sector, and it’s packed with user-friendly tidbits. Claire did a good job of getting her name and message out there – and it worked! Kudos to her – and to you!

Good luck! Go make the world a better place, and have fun Tweeting!

The post 10 tips for crafting engaging tweets appeared first on Socialbrite.

Be clear, optimize and analyze for great impact

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, marketers, Facebook users.
When you think about calls to action on your website, you typically think about landing pages. For example, your donation page or your email sign-up form.

But how often do you think about the calls to action in the blog posts you’re publishing each week?

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s get one thing straight:

The chief purpose for your website is to encourage people to act. Whether it’s making a donation, joining your email list, signing a petition, or changing a habit, the purpose of your website is to encourage actions.

Here are six simple ways to improve the calls to actions in your blog posts:

Be clear about your objective

1What do you want your reader to do? Do you want them to subscribe to your email list? Share a petition with their friends? And what’s the most likely action they’ll take? The more clear you are about what you want them to do, the better.

Know the difference between an FYI and a CTA

Photo by Sean MacEntee via Creative Commons

2There are two reasons for linking text in your blog post. You either want to provide more information about the particular idea, or you want them to take action.

When you’re simply providing information, links help keep your blog posts short and concise by linking to additional information instead of including it in the blog post. For example, rather than explaining what anchor text is, I can simply link to a definition. I don’t need to make a big deal about calling your attention to that information; I can just provide a link within the text.

Call-to-action links lead the reader to the place where you want them to take action. This is where you do want to make a big deal. Make a point of explicitly calling out the desired action. For example, “Click here to sign the petition.”

Optimize how you target links

3Links open in one of two ways:

• Within the same browser window (_self or not including any “target”)
• Within a new browser window or tab (_blank)

Generally speaking, you want calls to action to open within the same window. This way, you send the reader down the path you want them to take. If they click on a call-to-action link, you want them to keep going, with no other options.

Include calls to action at the end of blog posts

4People are more likely to take an action if they’ve received some value in advance. If you ask them to sign a petition at the beginning of your blog post, you’re asking them to make a leap of faith. But if you build an argument for the cause first, the petition will makes sense as a natural next step.

Embed forms directly into blog posts

5Another approach is to include a Web form or widget directly in the blog post. This removes the potential hurdles of clicking through a link to a new Web page.

Use Google Analytics

6Finally, make a point of measuring what works for your audience. You can do this by creating goals in Google Analytics. Each time someone completes a goal, a conversion is logged in your Google Analytics account, allowing you to compare different call-to-action methods.

The post 6 ways to optimize calls to action in your blog posts appeared first on Socialbrite.

How nonprofits can use SMART goals to chart impact

Guest post by Beth Kanter
Beth’s Blog

Using SMART objectives for nonprofit communications strategies is not a new idea. Spitfire’s useful SMART chart planning tool has been used by many nonprofits over the years.

SMART Objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely objectives. The Aspen Institute’s Continuous Progress blog points out they come in three flavors:

Tactical: Tools and techniques
Results: Money, time, or other tangible result that can be converted
Capacity: People, content, workflow, learning

The process includes beginning with identifying intent. Next, make it specific by adding a number, percentage, increase/decrease and a date. Some nonprofits find it hard to do because it takes hitting the pause button. Also, there may be a feeling that one is getting “graded” if they don’t make the deadline or hit the target number. But remember: SMART objectives can be revised along the way.

Some struggle to find an attainable number. Benchmarking, comparing your organization’s past performance to itself, or doing a formal or informal analysis of peer organizations, can help. It also helps to break down your goal into monthly or quarterly benchmarks.

It’s also important to think about what specific metrics are needed to measure along the way. Often, there is too much data collected and not enough sense-making of it. Many organizations think more data is better. It’s best to concentrate on the one or two data points that will help guide improvements and demonstrate results. With social media as with communications strategies, the data points are those that will help measure:  awareness, attitudes, actions, or behavioral change.

Finally, allocating time for a reflection about what worked or what didn’t work based on an analysis of the data is critical. Many nonprofits have not institutionalized this approach. Unfortunately, there is a goldmine of learning lost about lead to success or how to improve results next time around.

Outlining objectives

Here’s a summary of 25 SMART social media objectives (actually, more than 25) from the Leveraging Social Media project with arts organizations:

Results

• Increase website traffic by 25% by adding social media content starting posting by Nov. 1, 2013.
• Acquire 100 new donors through Facebook Causes by June 30, 2013
• Increase email list sign ups through social media channels by 500 names by June 30, 2013
• Increase the number of gallery visitors who purchase (in person or online) by 20% by June 30, 2013
• Increase online and print mentions by 25% by June 30, 2013
• Increase enrollment in classes and workshops by 50% by June 30, 2013
• Increase exhibition visitors by 15%  by June 30, 2013

Tactical

• Increase audience connections through Facebook to 1,000 by June 1, 2013
• Increase our month to month Post Feedback on Facebook by 25% on average
• Increase mentions by 20% on Twitter before, during, and after performances for 2013
• Increase likes and comments with fans on Facebook to three comments per post by June 30, 2013
• Increase views on YouTube by 50% by January 2013
• Increase the number of retweets and @replies on Twitter by 20% by Sept., 30, 2013
• Recruit 40 organizations to join our LinkedIn organization page by June 30, 2013
• Increase website traffic from Facebook by 20% by Sept. 30, 2013
• Use Facebook to increase Festival attendance and online program views by 5% by September 2013
• Identify top 25  influencers on Twitter to  build relationships to help blog, repost, and spread the word about online  program by Sept. 30, 2013
• Increase the age/ethnicity/gender/income/geographic of Facebook fans by 20%  by June 30, 2013

Capacity

• Create video trailers for all productions garnering an average of 100 views per trailer for the 2013-2014 programs
• Integrate social media across organization staff and ask departments to use it reach goals by 2013
• Conduct an audience survey to determine where to expand, grow, and diversify social media presence for 2013
• Create one video per month to tell stories about the impact of our organization by January 2014
• Recruit 40 organizations
• Staff members in membership, fundraising, communications, and marketing departments will use social media tools to engage audiences on Facebook page three times per week
• Conduct surveys at the end of every class and workshop to gather important audience social media usage data and experience with program by June 2013
• Enhance visual storytelling capacity and diversify type of content shared with a goal of increasing videos by 10%, photos by 20% and text that stimulates comments by 20% by Aug. 1, 2013
• Create a presence and support active fans on social fundraising sites Crowdrise and Change.org by Sept. 30, 2013
• Create a system to collect, aggregate, and share user-generated content on social media by audiences by Sept. 30, 2013

What if we stepped away from the process of checking off items on our to do list, and spent a little bit of time charting impact of our nonprofit’s social media use? What if we made sure the process for identifying SMART objectives included capacity building, measurement, and reflection?

What are your organization’s SMART social media objectives? How did you determine it? How will you measure them along the way?

The post 25 SMART social media objectives appeared first on Socialbrite.