#savingplaces: twitter tips for preservationists

#SAVINGPLACES: TWITTER

TIPS FOR PRESERVATIONISTS

Sarah Heffern | November 13, 2014 | @smheffern | #PastForward

Know Your Audience

• Your new favorite website: pewinternet.org

• Channel-by-channel demographics

• Twitter has most reach into 18-29 year olds, African Americans

• Think about both your current and desired audience

Find Your Friends & Allies

• Search your org’s name– Who is already talking

about you?

• Look at partner orgs’ accounts– Do they have lists?

• ID local movers and shakers– Search by name,

affiliations

Tell Your Story

• What stories are you

already telling?

– (And what stories are you

not telling? Why not?)

• Don’t reinvent the

wheel.

– Research files

– Training packets

– Website and/or blog

– Newsletters and internal

reports

Make it Visual

• Get double the engagement

• Think eye candy– We are not like other

kinds of nonprofits

• Use text and collages– Phonto (app)

– PicFrame (app)

– Pixlr (website)

– Canva (website)

Put a Hashtag on It

• Insert yourself into existing conversations– #PastForward

– #preservation

– #savingplaces

• Be strategic– Search first

– Hashtagify.me

• Participate in memes– #TBT – Throwback

Thursday

– #OTD – On This Day

Be a Resource for Media

• Follow reporters

• RT/reply to relevant stories – Build a relationship

• Answer questions– Let them see you as a

resource

• Pitch gently

• Don’t be spammy!

Ask and Share

• Twitter is a conversation, not a megaphone– Answer questions

– Ask questions

• RT partner orgs, local advocates

• Always, always attribute what you’re sharing

Make Your Events Tweetable

• Pick (and publicize) a hashtag in advance

• Make the action simple and fun

• Collect and re-share responses

• Thank people for participating

Host a Tweetup

• Connect “IRL”

• Casual or formal

• Focus on unique experiences

• Use a hashtag

• Capture the story– Storify.com

Set Goals & Analyze Results

• General goals vs. project-specific goals

• Quantitative goals vs. qualitative goals

• Sources include:– Twitter’s free analytics are

free (and great!)

– Hootsuite.com

– Topsy.com

– Hashtracking.com

•Be proactive!

Questions?

More Questions?

• Forum booth “specialist spotlight”

• Friday, 11:30 am -noon

• One-on-one question time

• More than just Twitter!