Live Tweeting for Nonprofits

Do’s and Don’ts of Live-Tweeting for Nonprofits

We’re attending the Social Media for Nonprofits Conference and Bootcamp in San Francisco, which kicks off today.

I’ve attended the conference four times in the past few years, and I’ve always walked away with great ideas about digital marketing for nonprofits and made a lot of wonderful connections. One of the best ways to share insights from the conference with your organization’s supporters on Twitter is to live-tweet from the event. Although live-tweeting can seem daunting, it’s an amazing way for your organization to participate in conversations on various issues discussed at the conference. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts of live-tweeting for nonprofits:

DO

  • Track down the official hashtag, and use it in every tweet related to the event.
  • Make a list of the Twitter handles of presenters and panelists before the event, so you’re not searching frantically while the discussions and talks are going on. This will come in handy when you’re sharing their quotes. It could also spark conversations with them, because they’ll know you’ve quoted them in your Twitter feed.
  • Encourage attendees to say hello. In the days leading up to the event, let your Twitter followers and other attendees know that you will be attending the event by sending out tweets with the official hashtag. When you’re at the event, invite those who have interacted with you on Twitter to meet you in person.

Promo Example

  • If you or someone from your organization is speaking or presenting a workshop at the event, inform your organization’s Twitter followers of the date, time and place of the event.
  • Make sure someone from your team live-tweets during your organization’s presentation. While live-tweeting, recap information, share relevant links, answer questions and retweet those taking part in the discussion.
  • Look for discussions about the event as well as specific presentations related to your nonprofit, and participate in those conversations on Twitter.

Discussion Example

  • Retweet any quotes or information that would be of interest to your followers on Twitter. Be sure to include the relevant Twitter handles of the people and organizations you mention in your tweets.
  • Remind people that you will be live-tweeting at the event. This will give your followers a heads up that they will be seeing numerous tweets from your organization’s handle related to one topic.

DON’T

  • Create an #excessivelylonghashtag for your event or panel. Don’t try to cram too much information in the hashtag. It’s important to provide enough space so people can add their thoughts and insights and fit in the hashtag for your panel.
  • Share random links or information about your organization without relating back to the discussion. This will lead to little to no engagement.
  • Only promote your own content. You are attending the event to learn from and network with other people, so give them a little love on Twitter.

Content Example

  • Ignore questions posed in the feed. Do you know the answer, or know someone who does? Do you have similar questions? This is a great way to spark a conversation and introduce yourself and your organization to someone new.

If you have any specific questions about live-tweeting during an upcoming event, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Also, feel free to ask me on Twitter (how appropriate) via @kkosak or pose the question to any of our in-house experts via @mediacause. #Happy #LiveTweeting!