Getting your message across

The Media Trust prived a full range of resources looking at all aspects of getting your message out to the wider world.

Details can be found on http://resources.mediatrust.org/

Here's an example of their advice on getting more out of Twitter:

Reach out: Follow other people, have conversations, ask questions and retweet other users' relevant tweets; this will increase awareness of your Twitter activity and help you attract a following.

Be interested and you will be interesting: Take time to read other peopleís tweets - consider what you like and don't like about their Twitter feeds. It will inspire you and help to inform your own approach.

Be yourself: Twitter is a very immediate, transparent medium. It's almost impossible to pretend to be what you're not. Be authentic and genuine - personally and on behalf of your brand.

Focus on relevance: Follow and engage with people/organisations you share interests, missions or values with (find them by checking relevant topics using tools like Twitter Search, Monitter, Samepoint, TweetDeck etc.). Remember, with followers, quality is more important than quantity.

Make every 140 characters count: Use URL shorteners, like bit.ly, tinyurl or give.to, so you can include links without using up too many characters. Include key words and hashtags that will catch your audience's attention and give them a reason to click on your link.

Always integrate: Twitter will provide the most value to your organization when used in conjunction with other social media - Flickr, YouTube, blogs, Facebook etc. - your own website, any microsites you may have, and other websites, online forums and communities, so share content/links in your tweets.

Be your own, most constructive critic: Take stock of your Twitter feed from time to time. Ask yourself whether you would enjoy following it, what you might get out of that, whether it is providing the right mix of messages for your organisation's target audiences and how it could be better.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes: If something doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. Tweets are quite transitory and will pass a lot of people by without them noticing. When (not if) you mess something up, don't be afraid to say so - your followers will be forgiving and it's another opportunity to be engage in authentic dialogue.

Perfecting your Twitter profile

• Make it easy for interested people to find you by making your bio clear and including searchable keywords.
• Take some time to craft the message, if you can, including who is tweeting.
• Make sure you include a URL that links to a page on your website that provides clear information about your organisation and its purpose (this could even be a bespoke landing page designed specifically for traffic from Twitter, which will give you more room to say what you want to say).
• Utilise your profile background - adding an attractive, branded background and making the most of this opportunity to say more about who you are and what you do.
• Finally, make sure your avatar is clear and simple. It will be viewed as a tiny icon, so there's no point including detail or small type that won't be visible.

Courtesy of:
Rachel Beer
Founding Partner at beautiful world