6 Twitter User Insights to Increase Nonprofit Fundraising & Engagement

Welcome back to the second part of my Social Media Summer Series dedicated to Twitter and its use for nonprofit fundraising and engagement. My first entry focused on 6 Twitter Setup Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising and this post will begin after you have your Twitter account all set up and looking to establish a presence and start engaging on this fast-paced platform. The following are some user insights and recommendations that will help strengthen the impact of your nonprofit’s efforts on Twitter:

1. Understand the Platform. Twitter is not meant to be a sales tool. It’s about informing, engaging and building relationships with existing and new supporters and donors. Other benefits to using Twitter include: helps increase your nonprofit’s visibility; strengthen marketing strategies; and ultimately connect with supporters who will take action in the future. The platform helps nonprofits connect with supporters, donors and like-minded individuals and also allows the nonprofit to stay on top of what others are saying about your organization or cause. It’s crucial that your focus is on building relationships and not simply a list.
2. Follow, Follow, Follow. Follow others that have the same interests and passion. A simple search with hash-tagged keywords related to your cause will help find these individuals and organizations that you want to engage. The “Who to Follow” option on the platform helps find people that are relevant to your organization’s cause, likes and interests. Following others will also help you keep informed of the latest industry and cause related news, information and activities. A good way to increase your followers is by participating in #FollowFriday, a global Twitter initiative where Twitterer’s recommend other Twitter users in their networks to be followed. It’s important to keep a balance of followers to those you are following to as close to a 1:1 ratio. However, expect to be following more than are following you in the beginning.
3. Share Relevant Content. Sharing original and existing content is important. It helps promote you as an expert in your field, cause or area. By sharing relevant content you will attract new followers who share an interest and want a source that is informative, credible and reliable. Ultimately you want to tweet information that highlights you as a reliable resource on the subject matter. When tweeting, be sure to use hash-tag keywords that your donor and supporter demographic can search and find you. It’s important to also retweet informative and relevant tweets of other users and if space permits you can also add your own comments. By doing this you are supporting them and they will likely return the favour. Ideas of what to tweet: Organization and cause related updates, news and observations; Resources and info-graphics; Images and videos; Your website and blog content; Your organization’s newsletter; Event invitations and reminders; Supporters frequently asked questions; Other blog postings (especially those you have commented on); and Cause and industry related postings or publications. You can also Tweet questions to open up dialogue with your followers.
4. Consistency is Key. It’s important to keep your use of the Twitter platform consistent along with the brand image and message. Overall success can be achieved by regularly tweeting and sharing information and providing updates on your account. As I mentioned in my previous post, it takes 7-12 impressions for the average consumer to feel trust and beging to build loyalty with a brand. Keep in mind you don’t have to limit your use of Twitter to your desktop as it is just as effective when used from a mobile device.
5. Promote Your Twitter Presence. It’s great to have a Twitter account, but it will not generate the desired results if your supporters don’t know about it. Promote your Twitter presence on other platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to help increase your number of followers and overall reach. The only downside is that some supporters may receive the information multiple times from various channels. Also include your Twitter Username and hyperlink on all your marketing materials, including your website, blog, newsletters, business cards, email signature and all your organization’s communications and marketing tools.
6. Third Party Tools. There are many benefits of using third party tools, including: keeping you organized, increased productivity, effective time management, grow your network of followers, identify negative tweets about your organization and provide reporting on several metrics to assess your return on investment. Some popular tools include: Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Timely.is, Paper.li and Klout to name a few.

Despite the small 140 character limitation, Twitter is anything but small. As the second largest social media platform in the world, there are many more creative ways to use and incorporate Twitter into your overall nonprofit fundraising and engagement marketing plans and I will cover some in my post tomorrow.
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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.