The number of Twitter users exceeds 316 million active users monthly, and they rely on this social platform for the latest and greatest stories from around the world. Although other social media sites have many advantages, Twitter remains the best social media site for nonprofits to ensure a continuous and direct dialogue with your audience, as well as to quickly disseminate news and inform and mobilize the public for your cause. Twitter also represents an ideal space for acquiring new supporters to expand the reach of your network.

Once you understand how Twitter works, you can effectively use this network and take advantage of its advanced features such as live tweets and analytical tools. The following list of tips on how to benefit from Twitter will reveal new ways to leverage this important social network.

All you need to do is identify the features that fit your organization’s social media strategy and marketing strategy effectively, then start utilizing this effective network.

  1. Enhance Content

If your nonprofit organization produces consistent and quality content on its blog or website, make sure to publish your articles on Twitter regularly. There is no doubt that your audience will anticipate your posts and will visit your Twitter page frequently, leading them automatically to the homepage of your website or blog.

  1. Publish Other Articles

Publishing valuable content from other sources alongside your organization’s content builds trust with followers and establishes your organization as a reliable source for relevant news. This also reflects your understanding of how your organization aligns with its mission in the long term.

  1. Publish All Your News

Twitter is the ideal platform for sending out a quick news bulletin, ranging from important organizational announcements to small details about specific events. Try to keep your audience updated with the latest news so they stay interested in your cause.

  1. Organize Contests

Contests create a friendly relationship with current followers and open pathways to gain new followers who decide to participate. Here are some examples:

  • Ask users for feedback or suggestions on the next campaign topic or title.
  • Ask your audience to guess the size of a specific campaign, and award a prize for the closest estimate.
  1. Engage in Direct Messaging

Direct messaging on Twitter is about discussing a particular topic directly, typically overseen by a specific indicator and focusing on an important matter for the organization.

  1. Open Supportive and Parallel Accounts

If you notice that there are tweets unrelated to your posts on your organization’s Twitter page, you might consider creating a secondary supportive and parallel account for your organization that supports your cause.

  1. Twitter Polls

Twitter polls are a great addition to engage your audience, allowing you to ask questions and interact with your followers. This process enables the organization to gather ideas about future fundraising campaigns and learn followers' feedback on events it previously organized.

  1. Mute Followers If You Wish to Avoid Random Tweets

Keeping up with your followers' news is an important way to track your supporters and make them feel special, but it can also lead to a clutter of random tweets. In this case, Twitter's mute feature allows you to avoid these tweets without unfollowing or blocking your followers' accounts.

  1. Link All of Your Organization’s Social Media Channels

You can drive user visits to all your social media pages by taking advantage of the ways they connect with you. Some social media platforms facilitate linking your Twitter account and posting directly to it, but you must be present regularly on your Twitter account and not solely rely on the linkage.

  1. Promote Your Organization's Image Through Content

Promoting your organization's image through images and graphics enhances audience engagement on Twitter by 47% as images are capable of creating a strong connection with viewers and capturing their attention.

  1. Best Content Includes Statistics and Numbers

According to a study conducted by social media experts, tweets that contain numbers or statistics, such as campaign results or growth percentages, capture followers’ attention more than text-only content.

  1. Segment Followers into Lists

Twitter lists help classify followers into specific groups based on your organizational purposes. Accordingly, segment your followers into employees, donors, board members, and nonprofits in your sector.

  1. Keep Your Posts Continuous

Neglecting posts and notifications on Twitter for even one day can lead to losing potential outreach for your organization and losing visitors to your account. In fact, consistent posting builds your audience’s trust in your organization’s commitment and engagement, which makes them reason to visit your page frequently.

  1. Work on Shortening Your Links

Shortening your URLs offers multiple benefits, such as allowing you to track the number of clicks your links receive through analytics, and understanding the type of content the audience prefers based on user click numbers.

  1. Proper Use of the @ Symbol

Twitter requires adding a letter or name before the @ symbol, to ensure that all your followers see the organization’s tweets. Most organizations add a dot before the @ symbol.

  1. The Age of Emojis

These emojis are an easy and practical way to express and grab attention, summarizing a lot of words.

  1. Understand Terminology and Usage Rules

Twitter has a set of terminologies that distinguish it from other sites, and users should be familiar with them.

  1. Scheduling and Engaging with Followers

According to “Social Media Today,” one of the important rules for social media is to spend at least six hours a week, or about one hour a day, engaging with followers. Therefore, your organization should utilize a social media management system to schedule content in advance; this way, you won’t have to constantly post on Twitter in real time, freeing up time to engage with your audience.

  1. Use Twitter Alerts

Twitter Alerts are an extremely easy service to keep up with public agencies or emergency organizations during times of crisis.

  1. Advertising

Promoted tweets increase the number of people seeing your message, providing an opportunity to attract followers through interactions that grow your audience.

  1. Design a Distinct Brand for Your Organization

Create unique hashtags specific to your nonprofit organization.

  1. Direct Messages

The direct messaging feature on Twitter allows you to have private communications with anyone who follows you, which is useful when the conversation is sensitive or contains personal information about donors.

  1. Proper Use of Hashtags

It is essential for your organization to use relevant hashtags that pertain to your organization and campaign, and ensure timely precision before posting.

  1. Analytics

Twitter analytics provide important information about your organization’s account activity on Twitter, such as engagement rates and interaction rates.

  1. Use the Twitter App

Download the Twitter app on computers and mobile phones to facilitate the following process.

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Source: Classy

Author: Juliana Keilm