@NonprofitOrgs only follows nonprofit organizations, nonprofit staff, nonprofit service providers, and activists on Twitter. Each morning I browse those that have followed @NonprofitOrgs in the previous 24-hour period and if they are a nonprofit organization, a nonprofit staff member, a nonprofit service provider, or an activist, I follow them back. Many of these folks are new to Twitter and thus I get to see the Twitter debut of many nonprofits and there are eight very common mistakes that newbies make that unknowingly diminish their Twitter ROI from day one. Most of these mistakes can be avoided by simply spending 10 minutes setting up your Twitter Profile or by getting some Twitter training.

1) Following others without having yet uploaded an avatar.

You have one chance to make a first impression on Twitter and you ruin that opportunity by following others as the Twitter Egg:

Many of those you follow will not follow you in return if you don’t have an avatar that grabs their attention or communicates a baseline message about your nonprofit. Many will also think you’re a spammer and will simply ignore your profile or block you. A 2009 study study by HubSpot found that not having uploaded an avatar decreases your followers by up to 80% and my guess is that the data from that study still speaks true today.

2) Following others without having entered a bio.

The same study by HubSpot also found that having a Twitter Bio can get you up to eight times as many followers. If potential followers can’t get some sense of what your Twitter profile is about, you can’t expect them to follow you in return.

Makes a Poor First Impression on Twitter:

Makes a Good First Impression on Twitter:

3) Not entering your nonprofit’s website.

If a potential follower is on the fence about following you, they’ll visit your website to learn more about your nonprofit. Not having a website URL is a huge, perplexing mistake that many nonprofits new to Twitter make. I mean, really, why would you not list your website’s URL on Twitter?

4) Opting in to protect your tweets.

Unless you are only on Twitter to have private conversations with only people you know, then do not protect your tweets. It communicates to your potential followers that you are fearful of Twitter and don’t understand the primary purpose of Twitter which is to be public, open, engaging, and interesting. If you want to have private conversations there are much better tools out there to use than Twitter.

5) Using all CAPS.

WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING AT ME ABOUT YOUR NONPROFIT? Using all CAPS is bad online etiquitte on Twitter – and on Facebook, your website, your e-newsletter, everywhere.

6) Following disproportionately.

Many nonprofits new to Twitter will follow hundreds and even more than 1,000 (the limit is 2,000) Twitterers thinking that mass following will result in more return followers, but it never, ever works. Mass following gives the impression to seasoned Twitterers that you are new to Twitter and even desperate, or a spammer. The psychology of Twitter is subtle and it takes time to figure out what Twitter is about and how it works. If you have disproportionately mass followed on Twitter, you might as well start over. Unfollow everyone and then be more selective, wise, and slow about who you follow.

7) Posting all marketing content.

I have been an observer of thousands of nonprofits new to Twitter and they all have a common pattern of first tweets that go something like this:

First Tweet: Hi everyone… we’re finally on this Twitter thing!!
Second Tweet: You can also “Like” us on Facebook! THANKS!!! 🙂
Third Tweet: Donate to us!
Fourth Tweet: Please read our most recent blog post.
Fifth Tweet: Good morning all… how’s your day going?

Of course, all of these tweets are met with silence and completely ignored and quite often the nonprofit then gives up and their Twitter feed goes silent – or worse, the nonprofit automates their Facebook Status Updates to post to Twitter.

8) Quitting Twitter too soon.

If you’ve made any of the the mistakes above, your Twitter launch was most likely doomed from the start. Many nonprofits quit Twitter too soon based on lackluster results, but that’s not the fault of the Twitter tool set, rather, it’s a misunderstanding of what Twitter is about and how to use the site and for what. Fortunately, Twitter is forgiving and you can start over and correct your mistakes.

Related Links:
Webinar: How Nonprofits Can Successfully Use Twitter and Twitter Apps
Five Types of Tweets Guaranteed to get Retweeted