I did not understand the usefulness of Twitter until I began reading the book Tao of Twitter by Mark Schaefer for my current social media class. Schaefer says that “charities could benefit from using social media tools. The social web is a great place to tell a story or create emotional connection, and who needs to get more out of their marketing dollars than a nonprofit?” He emphasizes the three elements of Twitter in the context of business:
Targeted Connections + Meaningful Content + Authentic Helpfulness
When a company, non-profit, or church networks with the right people, provides them with meaningful content (i.e. articles, links, events, promotions, etc), and is clearly accessible and genuine with its audience, it is using Twitter effectively. The success of Twitter as an effective social media tool for non-profits is apparent in the examples below:
Remember when Water is Life’s video went viral by hijacking the hashtag “#firstworldproblems?”
The hype created through YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter generated interest among donors that gave the organization the ability to provide millions of days’ worth of water to people in need.
The Red Cross has also been an active participant in the world of Twitter. The organization promotes “National Preparedness Month” every September with the hashtag “#NPM” plus the year (i.e. “#NPM14”). The American Red Cross not only educated the masses through this campaign, but generated interest in the organization itself. The American Red Cross currently has 1.8 million followers on Twitter. As stated on the website, you can follow @RedCross to “get real time updates during disasters, as well as plenty of tips on how to be prepared and stay safe.” The benefits go both ways.
Schaefer admits that the majority of the benefits of Twitter are intangible. Below are examples of benefits that he provided in Tao of Twitter, alongside equivalents that I have developed for nonprofits and churches.
| For-profit Businesses | Non Profits | Churches |
| Competitive intelligence | Competitive intelligence | Inter-church collaboration |
| Market insight | Market insight | Market insight |
| A new supplier or partner | A new partner | A new partner |
| Publicity | Publicity | Publicity |
| Brand awareness | Brand awareness | Brand awareness |
| Ideas | Ideas | Ideas |
| New products and services | New services or service development | New ministries or ministry development |
| Potential new customers | Potential new donors | Potential new donors and/or members |
So now that we’ve discussed the why, it’s time to look at the how. I will discuss best practices for nonprofits and churches using Twitter in a later post; but for now, I would like to point out the importance of strategy. The Twitter feed for an organization ought to align with that organization’s mission, vision, and values. All content and connections made through the feed should be viewed through that lens. Just like with a marketing strategy, a social media strategy should be based upon the organization knowing who it is, why it exists, and who it is trying to reach.
When it comes to marketing churches through Twitter, Margaret Landers of the New Church Development Commission has a great list of Top 10 Things Churches Need to Know About Twitter. As I am about to start a Twitter feed for my church, I will be referring back to this list frequently this month. The things that jumped out at me were:
- Style matters: consider the “personality” of your church
- Twitter is for sharing, not preaching: can I just put a “#preach #amen” here?
- Be authentic: people want to connect to other people, not to a title
- Stay relevant: know your congregation, and tweet about the things that matter
Here are some churches that I follow that I personally think do an excellent job at managing Twitter accounts:
- Newspring Church: @newspring
- Saddleback Church: @saddleback
- 12 Stone Church: @12Stone
It took me a couple of years, but I would say that I am now sold on Twitter. It is a channel of influence that God has given us to connect and collaborate with people and organizations all around the world. As Isaiah the prophet says in Scripture, “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain… lift up your voice with a shout; lift up, and do not be afraid.” (Isaiah 40:9) Twitter is an application that allows us as Christian influencers in the marketplace to proclaim the news of our products, services, and ministries in order to point people to THE good news, and ultimately bring glory to God.
The Holy Salesman 
I have a friend who is an Orthodox priest, and to his credit, he’s probably one of the most savvy technology people I know. He has an Internet radio station, a blog, is active on all social media, and on top of masses, he also writes for The Huffington Post.
My question for you is this: in the non-profit industry, do you have any insight into how much time and resources they have for this type of activity? I can understand why a group the size of the Red Cross could afford an effective strategy, but what about the smaller non-profits?
Do you see a strategy that small non-profits could use, even organizing a group to help one another, that can help them identify their objectives and strategies?
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Great questions, Dennis! I have noticed that smaller faith-based non-profits typically have an anti-marketing budget view, let alone budgeting for a social media strategy. The great advantage of social media is that so much is available for free. It cost the Red Cross $0 to post a hashtag. However, I am sure it took a lot of time and money to build a network of followers and to create buzz for National Preparedness Month. It comes down to what the goals of the non-profit are. Sometimes the hardest part is simply getting started. Using what you have is a great way to start; if there’s someone that is in charge of PR, or an intern looking for a self-empowering side project, that’s a good starting point for personnel. If the non-profit is larger than a few people, having a strategy team is almost essential, both in the traditional and social marketing world. I think one of the reasons I chose this topic to blog about is because I see so many non-profits and churches failing simply because they do not see the need for a marketing strategy (or they don’t know where to begin).
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Very informative post – I never looked at twitter as an avenue for nonprofits. I know in 2015 I’m probably behind times with the nonprofit/twitter factor being an ah moment for me. Like wise I think the girl scouts an some more civic type non profits are equally active as well. In the end twitter is a great, low budget method for marketing- it just a matter of time and effective tweets. Thanks for sharing, your post enlightend me to a different perspective with regards to social media marketing.
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Water is Life did a great job using social media to expose their followers to the true problems of the world. By having their fans reflect on their problems and see how miniscule they are in reality, provided them with exposure and funds to continue the organization’s mission. Great post!
Best,
Vincent
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Your post was so great! I also think about first world problems and how ridiculous we are compared to those that don’t have clean water. I love Twitter for church organizations also. I am a Mormon, and we have a lot of different twitter accounts that gives information and spiritual thoughts for the day. I hope you have success with your twitter account for your church.
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I couldn’t agree with you more about realizing the importance of Twitter until readin “The Tao of Twitter”. Its a great book that really illustrates the importance.
Very interesting about a Church having a Twitter account. I guess I haven’t thought about it much, but just like any other organization, they can have a voice on social media. Good point about the Twitter feed aligning with the organizations, mission, values, and vision. To most this may seem assumed, but I think everyone needs a reminder.
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