Top tips for using social networks
- It is important to regularly interact with the people who have joined your group on Facebook or your followers on Twitter to keep them interested. You could do this by creating a poll, a group discussion or by posting interesting articles and videos relating to your campaign. The more relevant and topical the content the more impact it will have.
- Regular status updates are a great way to keep supporters updated and get your message across. Asking others to copy your status / tweet helps keep the message moving and ensures your messages reaches an even bigger audience by giving you access to your friends networks as well.
- Make your Facebook group or tweets as original, creative and interesting as possible to create an interest in your campaign. The Woodland Trust used Twitter creatively, as part of their campaign against the Government’s plan to increase the number of passengers at Stansted airport, by tweeting as if they were a tree. The tweets were re-tweeted by followers of the campaign which helped spread the message.
- Follow as many people as you can on twitter who are relevant to your campaign and encourage others to follow you! You can also add your campaign group or your twitter page to your Facebook personal profile and in your “mini bio” field just under your photo. This will promote your page to friends who visit your profile. Don’t be afraid to promote your campaign group!
- Why not encourage people to change their profile picture to an image relating to your campaign. The NSPCC raised £100,000 in 48 hours after an un-prompted campaign on Facebook. The 'Change Your Profile Picture to a Cartoon' campaign asked people to do so to show their support for the NSPCC. This campaign page recruited over 22,000 fans.
- “Twibbons” overlay a small icon onto your profile picture which creates a visual online statement. Once you’ve created your “Twibbon”, your twitter or Facebook account will automatically let your followers know about your campaign. Your “Twibbon” can be created for free or you can download an image that already exists to represent a cause you support.
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