RareConnect.org webinar How to use Twitter to build your online rare disease presence

How to start a Twitter account for your #RareDisease

| 29th June | Barcelona

www.rareconnect.org

RareConnect Homepage

Questions

Agenda for TodayI. Why start Twitter?II. How to use it?III. Getting startedIV. Choosing a hashtagV. Best practicesVI. Twitter chatVII. Sustaining the momentumVIII. Questions

“In creating the #MPNSM community, it's allowed me and my cofounders to reach out to others and they've been able to reach out to us.”

-Naveen Pemmaraju, one of the cofounders of the #MPNSM Twitter communitySource

On Twitter, MPN Patients and Physicians Connect in Real Time

Why start a Twitter account?

Why start a Twitter account?

To make it useful have your own reason for getting started!

How can I use Twitter?

It’s not all a popularity contest

How can I use Twitter?

Start with listening

How can I use Twitter?

Connection | Voice | Promotion | Awareness | Education

Getting started on Twitter

I. Choose a username

II. Add a photo/logo

III. Fill out your profile

IV. Find friends and start following people

Choosing your @username

• A good username is the same, or similar to, your own name or organisation name

• Be memorable, be consistent with the rest of your brand

• Twitter limits your username to just 15 characters

Username/Handle

• Use a short Twitter username so people have more characters available in message when Tweeting to you

• Your Twitter URL is usually http://twitter.com/username

• Can be changed after you create it

• People interact with you in Tweets by using your username

What’s your username?

What’s your username?

Twitter image guide

Twitter Recommended Dimensions:

Minimum Dimensions:

Maximum Dimensions: Image Scale: Max File Size:

Image Format

s:

Profile Photo: 400x400 200x200px - 1:1 2MBJPG, GIF, PNG

Header Photo: 1500x500 - - 3:1 5MBJPG, GIF, PNG

In-Stream Photo: 506x253 440x220 1024x512 2:1

5MB for Photos, 3 MB

for Gifs

JPG, GIF, PNG

Fill out your profile

Find people to follow

• Following people is how you get to see what they share

• You will see their Tweets in your Timeline, but they won’t see yours unless they follow you back

• Start by importing your email contacts and follow those people that already know you first

Find people to follow

• Find your disease hashtag or hashtags and follow people that are using it

• Go to other accounts you trust like EURORDIS, RareConnect and see who they follow

• Follow back people who follow you and seem interesting

Twitter Lists

• When you start to follow many people, you can miss interesting Tweets

• A list is a curated group of Twitter accounts.

• You can create your own lists or subscribe to lists created by others.

• Viewing a list timeline will show you a stream of Tweets from only the accounts on that list.

Followerwonk.com

• Find your disease hashtag or hashtags and follow people that are using it

• 1

Choosing a disease hashtag #####

1. Check our list here:http://blog.rareconnect.org/social-media-case-studies/raredisease-list-of-hashtags/

2. Don’t re-invent the wheel, do some listening on Twitter, keep conversations together

3. Keep it short, memorable

Best practices

• It’s a platform for 2 way conversations, not a megaphone for only sharing links to your website

• Once you make a plan, use a team approach to be active

• Don’t auto link your Facebook page to your Twitter and only Tweet that way

• 3 times a day, use HootSuite to autoschedule

Best practices

Don’t link Facebook to Twitter

Good examples of Tweets

Good examples of Tweets

What’s a Twitter chat?

A live online discussion event where people communicate on a particular topic, using a chat specific hashtag

What’s a Twitter chat?

Use a free Twitter chat tool instead

Sustaining the momentum

Make a plan

Sustaining the momentum

HootSuite

• Social Media Management System or tool

• Monitor what people are saying about your disease and help you respond instantly

• You and your team login with your Twitter account

Hootsuite Dashboard

Listening to multiple hashtags

Summary

• Find your reason• Just start• Learn• Have fun & try new things• Keep going with a plan

Thank you

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Emma’s blog, My Normal

Get involved, write me an [email protected]