23 Jan 2012 1 Comment

Part 1: The 5 Don’ts of sharing your fundraising page on Twitter

 

This week, we’ll be doing a “Sharing your fundraising page” series to go over some best practices around sharing your fundraising pages through social media. We’ll kick things off  today with Twitter and discuss how you can best share your fundraising page online. Be sure to check back throughout the week for more sharing tips!

Twitter is a micro blogging social network that consists of individuals sending 140-character messages to either their entire network or to individual followers. Its integration into other online services has slowly made Twitter a standard in online conversation and information democratization. As a fundraiser, this is a tool that should not be over looked. Here are 5 don’ts when sharing your fundraising page on Twitter.

1. Don’t be vague with your tweets

Make sure you are properly communicating what it is you are doing and what you’d like your audience to do. While competing for individuals’ attention you can’t afford to be vague. Tweets must be mindfully crafted especially within the 140-character constraint.

  • Vague: “Help me with my fundraising goal! myfundraisingpagelink.com”

  • Clear and actionable: “I’m running the #BostonMarathon to help fight #breastcancer! Donations will change lives. fundraisingpagelink.com”

2. Don’t forget to use hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to add your tweet to larger, on-going Twitter conversation. Once you tag a tweet with a hashtag, it’ll appear categorized in the unique feed with other tagged tweets. Consider the tweet “Half way done with my #bostonmarathon fundraising goals! myfundraisingpagelink.com.” By including a hashtag, your post will then be categorized and search-able under the #bostonmarathon hashtag. Tweet to those who care most!

3. Don’t stress about asking to be shared

Ask your Twitter followers to share your message. Remember that your audience has their own unique audience as well. Even if you land just one retweet, it could potentially mean a whole new network of supporters. Be honest and sincere and you should be fine connecting with others. That’s exponential growth!

4. Don’t be afraid to tweet more than once

Chances are not everyone will get to see your tweet the first time. It is important to send new tweets every once in a while so that you stay fresh in your audience’s mind and guarantee that everyone has had a chance to read your message. For those avid Twitter users, best practice suggests 20 tweets a day however for those just starting off, shoot for just 10. Know that all your tweets don’t have to revolve around a single call to action. If anything, tweet about 4 times a day with a link to your fundraising page and the rest for simply engaging your network.

5. Don’t forget to add a link to your tweets

Finally, do not forget to include a link to your fundraising page in your tweets. This is a crucial step that many unfortunately forget about. Tweets are about context. Give your network a call to action and help direct them by using a link. This way they are more likely to support your efforts. You’ve gotten their attention so please don’t forget the link!

Now that you’ve thought about sharing your page on Twitter, here are another Nine Ways to Promote your Personal Fundraising Page.

Photo courtesy of Andreas Eldh 2011

by Dan Fonseca in Fundraising Tips Tags: ,