Social Campaigning: Tips + Ideas for Twitter

Here are some tips and ideas for campaigns or causes that will help keep you out of trouble and help you maximize your Twitter usage:

Tools of the trade

1. Use a Twitter client like TweetDeck to manage and send tweets
2. Employ a URL shortening tool like bit.ly or tiny.url to save precious characters
3. Visit sites that monitor Twitter trends like Twist or twit(url)y to monitor buzz
4. Know where you stand by using Twitter personal statistic sites likes TweetStats or TwitterCounter
5. Employ TwitterBerry or Twinkle to access and use Twitter on mobile devices
6. Use TwitPic to post photos easily from the campaign trail to your Tweeter feed

Tips + Ideas

Add a profile photo and make background convey a campaign message and other contact and website information.

Find people you think are interesting and initiate conversations with them, using @replies.

Don’t focus on how many followers you have; quality not quantity is the metric for you to look at and maintain.

Use Twitter as a search and listening tool

Use Twitter to maximize blog posts, press releases, videos, tv and radio ads

Try to keep a balanced mix between persona, news, commentary and campaign tweets; don’t always talk about the campaign and don’t always talk about your favorite movies.

Put a link to your Twitter profile in your campaign marketing material; business cards, email signatures, website, direct mail, campaign posters, stickers, etc.

Get the word out that you are on Twitter and encourage people to follow you.

Engage in conversations that mention something positive and relevant to your campaign and legislative priorities.

Cut through the clutter by making such digital influence are seeing and hearing what your causes is saying - for example: media, party leaders, donors, volunteers, etc.

Use # (Hashtag) to define campaign messages (#education, #books, #pro-teacher), define geography/race (#cagov, #nysen, #VA02, #cagop, #DCCC), campaign events (#OHDebate, #OHConvention) and employ bumper sticker messaging (#41stVote, #Linda2010, #GoMeg, #Yeson3, #GOTVOH)- also this technique allows people to easily follow all tweets with a # without following everyone who is interested in that subject, campaign and/or topic.

Posting photos in real-time couldn't be easier - now you have the ability to show candid and behind the scene photos from the campaign trail.