we were extremely excited to welcome 78 purpose-led organisations to our very first virtual #MisfitsLive event.

During these unprecedented times, we wanted to host a virtual event where charities, non-profit and purpose-led organisations could connect and learn more about how they can be reaching the people most important to them. With that in mind, we partnered with Twitter, whose daily active users have increased by 23% since this time last year!

To kick off the session, Twitter’s Head of UK Government, Public Policy and Philanthropy, Katy Minshall, explored how non-profits can harness Twitter, including adapting social media strategy during COVID-19, best practice tips on copy writing, advice on creating content, and how best to engage with an audience online.

Katy then answered various questions including how to use Twitter to help inform an organisation’s tone of voice around the current global pandemic.

We finished the event with a Q&A hosted by our very own CEO, Carlos Miranda, and our Director, Erin Niimi Longhurst.

For those that missed it, here are our top 5 takeaways to help you make the most out of Twitter for your organisation:

1. Follow copy best practices to create a conversational tone of voice that will engage your audience.

· Keep it concise — try to get your main message across in as few words as possible, ensuring that the copy is straightforward and easy to quickly digest.

· Hashtag accordingly — use hashtags accordingly to grow your reach. Ask yourself ‘what is the purpose of this hashtag?’. Are you looking to join a conversation or are you starting a new conversation?

All you need are 1–2 hashtags per post to grow your reach, get discovered and start trending. Hashtags are a great way to join conversations that are already trending, give your opinion and grow your follower base.

· Calls to action — use action words to direct your followers and turn views into action. There is a myriad of ways supporters can take action, so where possible try to be as specific as you can by using words such as ‘click’,’ tag’, or ‘sign up’. This will make it more likely to translate followers’ interests into offline actions.

· Ask questions or use polls — get replies from your followers with easy-to-answer questions or fun-to-click polls. Think about what you would like to see on Twitter — you’re more likely to want to see replies if a question is asked. Your charity can use questions in the copy of posts to create a more open, interesting and conversational approach.

· Embrace emojis — add a little pizzazz to your copy to catch your audience’s attention. Emojis can be used in an informal but structured way to create a conversation with your follower base.

2. Use content best practices to create engaging and informative videos.

· Be short and sweet — ensure videos grab your audience’s attention as quickly as possible. Twitter recommends that videos are no longer than 15 seconds, and that you get the message across in the first 7 seconds, with the key message shown in the first 2 seconds whilst people are scrolling through their news feed. Videos over 15 seconds will see a substantial drop off rate.

· Flash the logo — make sure people know who you are throughout your video. A constant brand presence will give people context by using your content alone.

· Leverage strong visuals and text — consider adding captions or motion elements to communicate your story. Ideally, you really want to be focusing on video without sound as this is how a majority of videos are viewed.

· Does it work with sound-off? — Just in case audio isn’t on, make sure your message is still loud and clear through your visuals. Using the copy best practices, create copy that explains what your video is about without having the sound-on.

3. Be as engaged with your follower base as possible to create an impactful Twitter strategy.

· Talk with your audience, not at them — reviewing your tweets and being mindful of what is going on in the world is really crucial. The most important thing you can do is ask the question ‘what do my followers need right now?’.

· Proactively engage — make sure that you are replying, liking and retweeting on a regular basis, particularly if your audience are tagging your organisation in tweets, as this will make them feel more connected to your charity and more receptive to any future messaging and campaigns.

· Infuse a two-way conversation — strategically infusing a two way conversation into your strategy will transform your influence on Twitter because your audience will feel like you’re talking with them, not at them.

4. Create a content pipeline and content calendar to ensure your organisation is involved in conversations surrounding trending moments.

· Re-purpose content — re-use owned content and assets for Twitter to create a content pipeline. For example, use content from newsletters, blog pieces, and infographics. You can also develop recurring events, highlight program success stories and accomplishments, and feature recurring program content such as photo of the week, volunteer highlights or success stories.

· Create a content calendar — developing a content calendar will be important so that you are not overwhelmed by content/events to focus on. This will also be a great way to implement the content sourced to create the pipeline, promote key events and involve your charity in trending moments.

5. Use Twitter to help inform your organisation’s tone of voice and strategy around the current COVID-19 pandemic.

· Follow Twitter’s curated events page running for COVID-19 UK — stay updated on posts surrounding the pandemic.

· Share positivity — despite the massive challenges and tragedies surrounding the pandemic, people still appreciate community and positivity. Twitter is a fantastic platform to share incredible stories in a timely fashion of people on social offering services and fundraising.

· Meet the adapting needs of your audience — as the needs of your audience change, use Twitter to share existing advice and provide specific content to address the situation. Examples of this include mental health charities like CALM and Samaritans, who are speaking to people in need virtually, hosting events online, and sharing timely and accurate information from their Twitter accounts.

· Read Twitter’s Brand Communication in Time of Crisis blog — this blog is also helping organisations understand the best communications approach to the pandemic. It highlights advice on the appropriate tone of voice, the need to stay up-to-date and share timely posts, and the importance of anticipating changes in your followers’ behaviour.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial for purpose-led organisations to be reaching the people important to them. With over 500 million tweets a day, Twitter is a great social media platform to engage with your follower base, keep people updated regarding any changes in services, and share positivity and community spirit.

Social Misfits Media is a social media and digital agency. We regularly host events for purpose-led organisations to help shape social media strategies, and encourage all readers to check out the links to articles and campaigns featured in this blog. Use the best practice advice, stay safe and wash your hands. Follow us on Twitter to find out about upcoming #MisfitsLive events and keep up-to-date with our work.