307 million people. That’s just a little smaller than the population of the entire United States. But, it’s also the amount of monthly active users currently on Twitter.
Needless to say, the popularity of the social network has exploded in recent years—and it’s only getting bigger. So, if you aren’t already implementing tactics and strategies to use the platform to your campaign’s advantage, it’s about time you hop on that bandwagon.
For those who aren’t familiar with it, Twitter can seem a little intimidating. With just 140 characters to share your messages, it’s easy to feel like you simply don’t have enough space to share your important insights and announcements—especially if you’ve grown accustomed to writing lengthy posts on Facebook. But, in today’s fast-moving society, those limited characters can really pack a punch.
Considering the fact that 49% of monthly Twitter users actually follow brands or companies—as opposed to a much smaller 16% on other networks—you absolutely need to start leveraging the power of this platform in order to spread the word about your campaign.
Feel overwhelmed? Not sure where to start? Well, we’re boiling it all down for you right here, with the five things you should do on Twitter to promote your nonprofit campaign. Let’s get to it!
1. Create a Hashtag
You’ve likely heard about hashtags before. But, in case you’re completely new to the Twitter world, allow me to explain. A hashtag is essentially a searchable term, created by placing a pound sign (#) in front of a word or phrase.
For example, I could search #nonprofits to see posts relating to nonprofits, or I could search #AdoptDontShop to see posts about rescue animals.
It also serves to group posts about the same topics together—meaning it’s helpful in seeing who exactly is talking about your campaign (and what they’re saying!). In the actual tweet, using a hashtag also makes that term “clickable”. So, a viewer could click that phrase directly in your tweet, and then be brought to a page that shows all relevant tweets.
Now, on to the good stuff. Anybody can create a hashtag—it doesn’t require special skills, access permissions, or even an advertising budget. You simply create your own hashtag by using it in your own tweets.
Of course, the power of the hashtag lies in its virality—meaning you don’t want to be the only one using it. So, encourage your community and followers to use the hashtag in their relevant posts, and list your chosen hashtag on your marketing materials so people know how to participate in the conversation.
There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to selecting your campaign hashtag:
- Make it simple and easy to remember
- Keep it short, so you’re not using valuable character space
- Make sure it’s not already being used by a different cause or company
- Use Hashtagify to see what hashtags relate to your cause or use it to create a hashtag of your own
Then, you just need to stay consistent and promote it to your followers and supporters, and you’re ready to roll!
2. Engage Your Followers
Speaking of your followers, they’re a key to your success on Twitter. The more people you can get re-tweeting (which is essentially synonymous with sharing) and liking your posts, the better.
One of the greatest ways to get your followers involved in your cause is by being proactive in reaching out to them. So, follow some of your key supporters back on Twitter. Tweet to them (by typing @ immediately followed by their username) with important updates, friendly notes, and messages thanking them for their support.
You also shouldn’t hesitate to explicitly ask for engagement from your community by asking them questions and requesting their help in spreading your message.
If you have a tweet that you’re really trying to blanket the world with, don’t hesitate to end it by saying “Please RT” (RT stands for retweet). It can up your chances of actually being retweeted by as much as 160%. See? Sometimes being direct really is the way to go.
But, if you’re aiming to achieve increased engagement in a more organic way than simply asking for it, try using images with your tweets. Research shows that tweets with photos get a remarkable 313% more engagement.
3. Collaborate With Influencers
Even if you already have a pretty large social media following yourself, I’m willing to bet that you’re always looking for ways to extend your reach and get your posts seen by even more people.
This is where working with influencers—individuals and brands who have large amounts of followers—comes in handy.
So, do some detective work and comb through your current network of contacts, including your employees, supporters, and even companies you’ve collaborated with in the past. Take a look at their social media accounts to find out if they have a large fan base.
If so, connect with them to see if they’d be willing to post some messages on behalf of your campaign—using your shiny, new hashtag of course.
By only posting your content on your own Twitter account, only people who directly follow you will see your tweets (unless they get retweeted). But, working with others helps to expose your posts to a much wider net of people—even if they don’t currently follow your account.
4. Brand Your Account
Twitter may offer a limited number of characters. But, there are still plenty of opportunities for successful branding on your nonprofit’s Twitter account. And, if you want to build a solid voice and identity, you should definitely spend some time branding your page.
What sorts of things can you do to bring some cohesiveness to your Twitter page?
- Add a powerful photo as your cover photo, and add some text advertising your campaign. Canva makes it incredibly simple, and even offers a great template that’s the perfect size.
- Make your profile photo something campaign-related.
- Craft an informative and inspiring bio (in 160 characters or less).
- Select theme colors that match your branding.
Not only does doing this make you appear polished, cohesive, and put together, but it also makes your Twitter page instantly recognizable to your devoted followers and supporters.
5. Pay Attention to Analytics
Information is power. And, there’s really no point in continuously throwing posts up on your Twitter account without any idea of how they’re resonating with your audience. So, even though it might not be directly tied to promotion of your campaign, you should definitely plan to keep a close eye on your Twitter analytics.
Twitter’s analytics are relatively easy to use. When viewing your Twitter account, you’ll see a box that looks like this on the right side of your page.
Clicking “View Your Top Tweets” will take you to your analytics page, where you can dive into all sorts of helpful information, including:
- Your top tweets
- Your impressions and engagement rate
- Information about your audience
This is all important information you can put into play to craft more relevant messaging, post at your most impactful times of day, and ultimately make your Twitter promotion strategy that much more effective.
Final Thoughts
I get it—the idea of using simple, 140 character messages to promote something like your campaign can seem a little counterintuitive. After all, how much influence can those limited characters really hold?
Well, as I’m sure you see now, a lot. And, if you’re looking to successfully promote your nonprofit’s latest campaign, Twitter is simply a space you need to be a part of—if you aren’t already.
Put these tips into play to promote your next campaign on Twitter, and you’re well on your way to social media success!
