If you’re not already using social media for your ministry, you need to be. I came across the below list from Michael Hyatt:
- Using a difficult-to-remember username. In my opinion, your username should be as close to your real name—or your brand name—as possible. This facilitates engagement. If people can’t remember your username or have to look it up, most won’t bother. As a result, you’ll be left out of the conversation. In addition, a real name communicates authenticity and accessibility. Don’t hide behind a made-up name that is only meaningful to you. If you want to change your username to something better, you can do this in the Twitter settings panel without setting up a new account or losing your existing followers.
- Posting more than about 120 characters. If you want to be “re-tweeted,” thus extending your influence, you need to keep your messages shorter than the legal limit of 140 characters. A re-tweet, by definition, will carry the abbreviation “RT” plus your username. In my case, that would be “RT @MichaelHyatt” plus a space—seventeen characters total. If you subtract that from 140 you get 123. That means my messages cannot be longer than 123 characters without requiring people to edit my messages before re-tweet them. If you want to get re-tweeted, make it easy for your followers.
- Tweeting too little—or too much. Admittedly, this is a judgment call. Like the Story of the Three Bears, somewhere between too little and too much is “just right.” Personally, I shoot for 12–14 posts a day. (It takes less time than you may think.) I am not suggesting that this is the ideal goal. It depends on your goals and your audience’s expectations. However, if you are only Twittering a couple of times a day or less, it is too little to get on my radar. If you are Twittering too much, you become annoying, and I will eventually unfollow you. I am simply suggesting that you develop a strategy and be intentional about the number of messages you post.
- Asking for more than you give. Obviously, spammers and most direct marketers fall into this category. They mistakenly see Twittering as just another form of “interruption marketing.” However, here I am referring to legitimate Twitter users who use their account to converse. But they also post too many messages promoting their company, products, or services. You must think of the Twitter community as a “social bank account.” You can make withdrawals, but only if you deposit more than you take out. I shoot for a 20-to-1 ratio. In other words, I want to post 20 or so helpful resources or bits of information for every post in which I ask for help solving a problem, supporting a cause, or touting one of my company’s products, etc.
Continue reading the rest of the list here.
