How to start using Twitter

A presentation which helps you get up and running on twitter - References to tools, websites, and pitfalls.

1. Twitter

2. Twitter Starting up …

3. Twitter – Choose a name Keep in mind branding Personal name vs. Company name CharlesAtDell or DellSales Following stays with name Be careful of length – the shorter the better Retweetability – the “My Number” rule

4. Twitter – Choose an Avatar (picture that represents you) Branding Recognizability Do not change lightly Determines first impression

5. Twitter – Creating a background Branding Be careful of width Second impression Be innovative, impressive, creative

6. Twitter – Creating a brief Bio Others use this to decide if you are worth their time About 160 character limit Remember that the bio is searched for relevant terms when people are looking for various services

7. Twitter Tools

8. URL Shorteners A URL shortener takes what may be a very long URL (web address) and shortens it so you have more room out of the 140 characters allowed in a tweet to give your message. One of the better URL shorteners is Http://bit.ly . The reason for this is that if you have an account with bit.ly it also tracks the number of clicks on each link and more.

9. RSS Feed tools RSS (Really Simple Syndication) can be used to automatically tweet new information from designated sources, such as the Einstein news feed. You can use any of a number of tools to facilitate this. Just a few are: Twitterfeed Feedburner Yahoo pipes

10. Searches Search is a powerful way to find out what is going on about the institution on twitter or on the internet. Just a few powerful search tools are: Search.twitter.com Google blog search Tweepsearch Tweetalerts Geo search

11. Backups As with anything, backup is essential. But backing up something that exists primarily on the internet can be a problem. Luckily there are at least 2 tools that will help. Tweecious (tweecious.com) This solution backs up up all your tweets which contain internet links. You must also have a delicious.com account (social bookmarking site) Backupify (backupify.com) This backs up everything in your twitter account. If you go beyond the free version you can backup other online entities.

12. Analysis Tools online TweetEffect ( tweeteffect.com ) shows which tweets were followed by follower jumps up or down Tweetree ( tweetree.com ) displays your tweets in a conversation format TweepML ( tweepML.com ) lets you create lists of tweeters (twitter is currently rolling out it’s own list feature) Twittercounter ( twittercounter.com ) shows your twitter followers statistics Klout ( klout.com ) gives you a “ klout ” score and categorizes your tweets Twtbg.me ( twtbg.me ) is a site that lets you check your twitter background in various screen resolutions and even gives you a template to help correct errors Twitter grader ( twitter.grader.com ) generates a grade out of 100 for your account and notifies you of any problems Twit Analyzer ( twitanalyzer.com ) analyzes your profile for Influence, Signal, Generosity, velocity, and clout. TweetStats ( tweetstats.com ) creates a graphical representation of your tweets – bar graphs and cloud graphs

13. Twitter Clients

14. Clients There are many different types of twitter clients and the one you use depends on a couple of things. The way in which the organization has decided to use twitter Who is going to be tweeting How the tweeting will be done Time investment

15. CoTweet The client used by many businesses is Cotweet (cotweet.com). CoTweet is a web client – which means you must have a web browser opened to use it. Best for use if more than one person is tweeting on the same account. This client can schedule tweets ahead of time for convenience Cotweet uses “ CoTags ” which identify the person tweeting (^TZ) Cotweet can also integrate the bit.ly URL shortener Can have multiple twitter accounts as well

16. Tweetdeck Tweetdeck is a desktop client (stand alone application). Like CoTweet TD can have multiple accounts. You cannot schedule tweets with TD Although you can manage multiple accounts it does not lend itself to multiple users

17. Seesmic Desktop Like TweetDeck , Seesmic Desktop is a desktop client. SD manages multiple accounts SD does not lend itself to multiple users Seesmic is more multimedia friendly There is a version of Seesmic on the web called Seesmic Web

18. Twitter Website This is the way a majority of tweeters use twitter. You must be in a browser to access the site. There are fewer capabilities than the stand alone apps such as tweedeck and seesmic desktop. While stand alones access Twitter through the site’s API – which will work many times when the site itself isn’t working, if you are using the website it must be working for you to do anything

19. Peoplebrowser PeopleBrowser can be either a stand alone or a web app. PB does many of the things that the other apps do. It does not measure up in many ways though.

20. Branding site Knowem.com is a site that lists ~120 popular social media sites. Use this site to check that your brand is not being used/stolen/spoofed by someone else.

21. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media

22. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Determine your message What are you trying to say? Do you have more than one message? Develop a short paragraph that encapsulates what you want to say and continually reference it as you work on social media tools. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

23. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Determine who the audience is Who is your audience? Are they tech savvy? Creating a plan to enter the social media arena is irrelevant if none of your audience will follow you there. Consider surveying your donors to determine how they want to hear from you. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

24. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Develop goals What do you want to achieve from social media? Donations? Awareness? Determine your goals and remember to keep them handy as you progress. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

25. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Determine the exact ROI expected This goes hand in hand with #3. Get specific about the return on investment you are expecting. If you want donations, what's the amount? If you are looking for new supporters, how many? Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

26. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Research and determine which social media tools work for you There are multiple social media tools out there. It's important to determine which ones work for you. Signing up for everything isn't going to be the best use of your time. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

27. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Create a strategy Developing a strategy for your social media activity is extremely important. You need to determine what content you want to create and where you want to put it. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

28. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Create the analysis method What's your method for analysis? It's important to track what you do on social media tools so you can examine whether you are achieving the ROI that you want. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

29. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Determine the main contributor as well as the sub contributors Who's writing the content for your social media sites? Is it the same person who's posting them? Are there more than one person contributing? Hashing this out ahead of time will make the process flow much smoother. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

30. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Develop content ahead of time Create some of the content you need ahead of time so you aren't scrambling to find something to post/write about everyday. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

31. 10 things to do BEFORE setting up Social Media Develop response procedure What's your procedure if you recieve a negative comment from someone? Or even a positive one? Determine how you handle questions and comments from your audience. Source: http://notesfornonprofits.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-things-nonprofit-should-do.html

32. The 5 Rules of Social Media For Non Profits (and everyone else)

33. 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits 1. Listen . Social Media is not about you. It’s about people’s relationships with you. Listen before you speak.

34. How to Listen … Use the H.E.A.R. method of listening: H E A R EAR MPATHIZE NALYZE ESPOND Listen carefully to what is being said Put yourself in the speakers “shoes” Determine what the goals of the speaker are and if there is any underlying meaning Reply with a meaningful, constructive, thought out response

35. 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits Get involved . Social Media is about conversations and building relationships. It takes effort. Don’t just talk about yourself. Ask questions, engage people and link, Most of all be inspiring.

36. 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits Give up control . You can’t control the conversation. If you want people to spread your message, you have to trust them. Listen. Inspire. Engage. Let go.

37. 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits Be honest . You can’t spin the truth with Social Media. Be open, honest and authentic in everything you say and do.

38. 5 Rules of Social Media for Non Profits Think long term . Don’t expect immediate, easily measurable results. It takes time to build trust and make connections.

39. 11 things to avoid when tweeting Source: http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

40. 1. Words not to use in your Bio Don’t use the following words in your bio, no matter how much you think they will attract followers: Social Media Expert Guru Make Money online Affiliate Marketing Increase your Followers http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

41. 2. Don’t only answer the question “What are you doing” in your tweets. http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

42. 3. Do not only promote your blog/ business in your tweets http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

43. 4. Do not tweet the same thing more than twice a day http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

44. 5. Do not tweet about your followers more than once a week http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

45. 6. Do not tweet exclusively in another language http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

46. 7. Do not tweet sensitive / private information http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

47. 8. Do not auto DM people who follow you http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

48. 9. Do not auto follow http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

49. 10. Do not consistently make spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes in your tweets http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

50. 11. Do not use twitter like you use Facebook http://technmarketing.com/web/11-things-to-avoid-when-using-twitter/

51. Something to keep in mind 80% of wealthy donors who are online made a gift online using a credit card Source: Convio The Wired Wealthy (March 2008) 51% prefer to give online

52. Our donors are online … Source: Convio The Wired Wealthy (March 2008) In 2007, total online giving in the US reached over $10 billion – a 52% increase over 2006. 51% of wealthy donors prefer to give online.

53. … and they use Social Media. Source: Convio The Wired Wealthy (March 2008) 52% of these “wired wealthy” donors use YouTube. 16% use LinkedIn 14 % use MySpace 12% use Flickr 9% use Facebook

54. What the “Wired Wealthy” are saying about giving “I would want them to evolve in their approaches – to show me that they are constantly innovating , constantly thinking creatively about what’s next, and not just dealing with what’s here and now. And that in a way is sort of inspiring in itself.” Source: Convio The Wired Wealthy (March 2008)

55. In December 2008 4.5 million people visited Twitter - a 753% increase from the previous year. Twitter.com visits from May 2008 - May 2009 increased 1,444% 70% of twitter users joined in ‘08. 5-10 thousand new accounts are created daily. Sources: Compete (December 2008) Hubspot State of the Twittersphere (December 2008)

56. Non-profits on Twitter

57. Twitter Success Story Epic Change used Twitter to raise over $11,000 in just 48 hours to help build a classroom in Tanzania. Source: Tweetsgiving.org Over 98% of donors had never before donated to Epic Change

58. Why it worked Clear, achievable but audacious goal Short deadline gave sense of urgency Easy to understand, easy to give Fun, positive focus Leveraged existing networks Recognized top donors

59. Social Media Metrics There are 2 distinct ways to measure the effect of Social Media Qualitative Quantitative “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” (Sign hanging in Albert Einstein’s Princeton office)

60. Social Media Metrics We are building better relationships with constituents by learning more about them to fine-tune Einstein’s focus and programs. Messages delivered to the community are being shared member-to-member and with the outside world. Blog posts are building momentum in the number of quality comments that give insight into supporters’ opinions. Members are using the community to actively trade knowledge and insights and are meaningfully supporting fellow constituents’ concerns, passions and goals. Source: Bob Cramer: http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/comments/what_are_the_metrics_of_success_for_your_online_community/ Measuring Qualitative success by the relationships to members

61. Social Media Metrics Measuring Qualitative success by the relationships to members Such indicators reveal how well we are communicating with our members, and how well they are communicating back to us – and with each other. Again, all this points back to more engaged and passionate supporters, something essential to meeting fundraising goals. Source: Bob Cramer: http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/comments/what_are_the_metrics_of_success_for_your_online_community/