My Two Cents- on Twitter

A school communication colleague of mine asked our group for the best way to use Twitter in their district. The following is my response, not necessarily an answer to her question. I just wanted to share with you. Please remember that every school district, business, and organization is different. You will need to clearly define your goals for using Twitter, or any social media, in your communication plan.

I am a huge fan of Twitter, but I have not had a lot of success with Twitter for organizations.

For me- Twitter by real people is the most authentic use of the tool. I, Michelle Herpich, post my views and questions to my circle of followers, who are, for the most part, real people.

I really feel that organizations/groups use Twitter as a way to "broadcast/bulletin board" information, not a "2-way method to communicate." This is fine to get your message out to people, but you are not necessarily maximizing the use of Twitter. Most of my "organization" interactions are very "shallow", but my personal interactions are deeper and are more about "relationship building."

I think that admins should be using a personal Twitter and staying connected with other educators and keep in the loop with technology. However- their posts will be their personal posts to their followers, not necessarily of interest to all district followers. This is for them to build relationships!

Options for Posting to a District/Organization/Business Page:

Twitter is great because one account (district/organization) can have any number of people that can post to it. You just have to share the login information with those in the "circle of trust!" (Yes, one person can have multiple Twitter accounts.)

The most simple method of posting is a Generic post from the page:
"Twitter Tip: Follow industry leaders for inspiration and you will learn so much"

If you want to add a little more "personalization" you could have each person could "sign" their tweet with their initials. (Maybe you could sign w/ location?)
"Twitter Tip: Follow industry leaders for inspiration and you will learn so much /mh"

If the district has a Twitter Account, the admins (or anyone) can RT the original tweet, therefore increasing the reach of your original tweet. THAT is what Twitter is all about! Example:
SCKESC posts: "Twitter Tip: Follow industry leaders for inspiration and you will learn so much"

Michelle Herpich ReTweets; "RT @SCKESC
Twitter Tip: Follow industry leaders for inspiration and you will learn so much"
(Now all of Michelle Herpich's followers see this and may click on @SCKESC and if they like what they see- they will click "FOLLOW" :)

Don't Forget: If you have several people posting from one Account you could become more of an annoyance to your followers.

You also want to make sure that people are not making duplicate posts, not realizing someone else had already posted that information.

Be sure that the content that your provide is more valuable than it is annoying or they will stop following you.

OK- I'm going to stop now. I could talk about this all day! :) Feel free to post your thought here or find me on my personal Twitter!

What did bitmaps do in 2008 to make me hate them so much?

I get so so sidetracked when I'm supposed to be cleaning. Flipping through 2008 planner I found this note! This is why I love good old fashioned planners!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saddles

Here is a little glimpse into my life. Today's lunch convo:

Me: Have you ever seen a saddle?
Him: No, maybe just pictures or videos.
Me: You've seen videos of saddles?
(pause)
Me: Well if you ever get the chance, you've gotta touch one. The craftsmanship is exquisite!

All of this started over a jalapeño chip that looked like a Pringle.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Questions to Ask Before Setting Up Your Fan Page

50% of active users log-on to Facebook in a given day. *

Facebook should be a two-way communication tool, not a bulletin board. It can be a customer service tool. It can create trust. It can entertain. It can be a resource. It can create a sense of community. How you use facebook will depend on your communication goals.  –Michelle Herpich

The average facebook user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.* You know it is important to have a presence on facebook. But to get the most our of your efforts, you must go into this with a plan.

Here are a few questions to consider before you set up that facebook page for your business or organization. 

What are our goals for the page?
Why do we want a page?
Will this be company wide or by location?
Who is the primary audience of the page?

How will we know if we've met our goals?
Number of Fans?
Increase in sales?
Increase in traffic?
Interaction from the "facebook insights."

Who? How? When? What?
Who will set up our page?
Who will monitor the page?
How often will we make posts?
What type of information will we post?
What will your first 10 posts contain?

If you would like help answering these questions. I am available for a quick phone call or a face-to-face coaching session! Email me: michelleherpich@gmail.com.

For more tips and pointers follow this blog or visit  on Micklynn Graphic Design & Marketing facebook!

*Source: http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics#!/press/info.php?statistics