Should A NFP Use Twitter?
June 30th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized, social networkingI had a great question posed to me by Scott Semester of Smaller Indiana in relation to my post about Comcast .
The question follows:
Kyle, can you talk a little more about (or recommend online resources that can explain) how companies and nonprofit organizations can use Twitter to connect with their target audiences? I have a Twitter account, but it’s just for personal stuff and I usually forget to use it at work. How might I and my colleagues add value for donors via Twitter?
What a great question!
The first step in utilizing a social tool like Twitter is to understand the human element in relation to social media. The human element can be referred to as an underlying form of authenticity when using social tools for communication. Scott made reference to using Twitter for “personal stuff” and he is on the right track. When consulting with a company, I tend to recommend two separate accounts. You should always have social media tools for your personal life, which SHOULD ALWAYS BE separate from your business.
When a person is seeking out information on your company they want two things concrete information (hard data, contact info, about us, etc) and the human element (owner, employee, company mission, etc). Twitter, not to mention every other social media outlet, gives you the opportunity to show a more human side to your business/organization.
Next step: Just try it out. Start an organization Twitter account (ie. Comcastcares). Search for people in your area and start following. See what happens.
Put some HUMAN into your COMPANY. Believe me, it is worth it.
After all, an empty, heartless logo is the last thing a donor will give money to.
One Response to “Should A NFP Use Twitter?”
By Scott S. on Jul 1, 2008
Hey, Kyle - Thanks for the post!
As I’ve been having conversations with folks around the church, I’ve discovered that there’s a lot of misunderstanding (and an accompanying fear) around introducing this relatively simple tool as one part of our strategy for relating to and with our constituency.
Any hints on advocating for new media in an org where “Isn’t having a website enough?” is a consistent refrain? Or will it just take time…?