Are you a tweeter? Is your organization engaging key audience members on Twitter? Are your tweets relevant? Whether you are or are not on Twitter, this blog is for you.
Getting Started
First and foremost, if your organization isn’t on Twitter, perhaps it’s time you evaluated the value of joining the Twitterverse. To conduct this evaluation, ask the following questions:
- Is our audience on Twitter?
- Would Twitter help us reach a new audience we aren’t currently engaging but would like to engage?
- How can we use Twitter to meet the objectives of our organization?
- Are there negative effects if we don’t join Twitter, and what are those effects?
Following Through
Second, perhaps you are on Twitter, but you’re not sure how to use it. For this section, I figured I would share with you some novice Twitter tips from expert tweeters. Check out these blogs…
Twitter Basics 101: Top Twitter Tips for Newbies (or Reminders for Regular Tweeters!)
13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners
The Beginners Guide to Twitter
29 Useful Twitter Tips for Beginners
Twitter Tips For the First Time Tweeter
Remaining Relevant
Perhaps your organization considers itself a Twitter native because of how long the organization has been on Twitter. Be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking Twitter longevity automatically makes your organization a Twitter success story. To remain successful, you must periodically evaluate the effect of your Twitter presence in helping your organization achieve its goals, and as a result, in some instances, redirect your Twitter strategy.
In case you haven’t noticed, Institute recently changed its Twitter handle from @GetConnectIN to @IOMeducates. Why the switch you ask? While the original handle fit Institute’s branding when Institute initially engaged on Twitter, the handle lost brand recognition as Institute’s brand evolved. We decided it was time to regroup and reevaluate. We asked ourselves what we wanted to be known for. What handle would be timeless? What would be easily recognizable? And since @Institute was already taken (go figure), @IOMeducates was born.
The full name of the Institute program is Institute for Organization Management (IOM). When attendees graduate from the program, they earn the IOM recognition and are able use the letters IOM next to their name, hence the “IOM” portion of @IOMeducates. Since Institute is the professional development educational program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, we added “educates” after “IOM” to make clear in our audience’s mind what we as an organization are doing, we are educating.
Concluding Advice
To ensure you’re getting the greatest ROI out of Twitter, schedule a meeting in the next week with your team and discuss the following:
- Why or why not are we on Twitter?
- Are we using Twitter effectively?
- How can we remain (or become) revelant tweeters?