140 characters. That’s not a lot of wiggle room to build a nonprofit brand. But it’s enough. Simply tweeting updates of your nonprofit’s progress won’t do it for your followers—statistics and data often don’t have the power to thrill people, and that doesn’t do anything for brand-building. And that’s what you’re aiming to do. While the amount of money you’ve raised or the number of children you’ve helped is touching to some, to others those are simply digits. Your nonprofit can dig deeper—even in something as brief as a tweet. Here’s how.
If You Want Others To Talk, Lead By Example
If key personnel in your nonprofit aren’t on Twitter, it’s time they joined in. Having a few of your nonprofit’s VIPs tweeting about the cause can inspire and educate others. Why? Because it’s real people, tweeting about an important cause that they feel passionate about. Putting a face to a nonprofit holds great power in making people feel connected. Want your brand to generate a buzz on Twitter? Then start one internally.
Don’t Ask for Money, Tell Stories
We’ve harped on this before, and we’re going to do it again. Constant pushes for fundraising won’t earn you followers—if anything, it will lose them. You don’t want your nonprofit’s brand on Twitter to be one associated with a constant guilt trip, pleading for donors to “consider donating generously.” We know your cause is a worthy one. So do others. But being pushy or constantly asking comes off as somewhat annoying.
Substitute Your Lack of Available Words with a Powerful Pic
One of the best ways you can earn more donors is by showing followers the impact that previous donors have made. How? Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and seeing as how you only have about 25 to tweet, using pictures is a smart move when it comes to sharing your story. They can easily shape your nonprofit’s brand by showing followers the type of people you are and the type of people you help. Photos are as unique as your nonprofit, and can help your nonprofit’s brand stand out.
Charity:water, the current leader in the world of nonprofit Twitter followers, tweets out a daily picture of people they’ve helped bring clean water. Seeing real people who’ve benefited from donations is pretty powerful. Don’t believe in the power of the pictures? Take a look at Charity:water’s blog. If there’s one vital part to your nonprofit brand, it’s the people you’ve helped.
How does your nonprofit shape its brand on Twitter? Any tips to add?
