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Twitter for Non-Profits Special Report – Now Available »

I have been using Twitter since Mar 28th, 2007.  (Find your Twitter birthday at http://www.mytweet16.com/)

During that time I have done the usual “what I’m eating,” “what I am listening to,” and all of the bad things Twitter gets blamed for. But as I grew in my knowledge both in the technical side of Twitter and the power of reaching people on Twitter, I began to use it for other things – including announcing site launches, meetups (or tweetups) and other things.  And eventually I started using it in yet another area:

The non-profit organizations I am a part of.

I am the President of the Ames Community Theater, and while most theaters still hadn’t begun using Twitter, we had a twitter username. (Follow us at @actors)

In learning the ups and downs of using Twitter through my own name, I quickly started to leverage Twitter to help us get out information about auditions, performances, and other things relating to the community theater.  Then I had an idea: why not share this knowledge.

I had the idea for Twitter for Non-Profits for about a year before I finally put together the special report.  In it, I list many of the steps I myself followed in all my Twitter accounts to gain followers and utilize Twitter to help our organization grow.

I knew that this jump-start guide would be welcome information to many non-profit organizations to help their Twitter presence grow.  Unlike information I have given out in the past, I was certain THIS information is solid, easy-to-follow and can help any organization get started on Twitter.

So I decided to release it for $7.  But there is also a bonus.  If you buy the report, you immediately get access to an affiliate program that pays out 100% of the price of the report.  So if you link to the report with your affiliate link, you can earn your $7 back – and more.

Interested?

Click on over to www.twitterfornonprofits.com and check it out.  Let me know what you think, spread it around – link to it, become an affiliate.   If you are a non-profit organization, what have you got to lose?  $7 could get you on your way to a great Twitter presence.

Give it a try.

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The Ever Changing Brand »

I have had a similar conversation with many of my peers lately regarding, what I consider, radically changing a familiar brand.  In each case I tread carefully, knowing that a brand is an integral part of a business, especially one that has been around some 50 years.  But while I was concerned about changing just the logo, it occurred to me:

Your band changes all the time, whether you want it to or not.

For instance:  I am currently president of the Ames Community Theater.  Over the years the brand of the theater (ACTORS) has gone through many changes, notably the fact our audience, who were once the life and blood of the theater, are now pushing 70-80 years old, and our attendance reflects that.

We are constantly trying to find ways to entice and bring in the “under 30″ crowd, oftentimes calling upon the same people over and over to help out behind-the-scenes or audition.

Our brand is split between “producing quality shows” to “bussing in the retirement communities.”

And we are trying to change that, and encourage younger folks to get involved, as well as maintaining our brand as a community theater for all ages.

When you think about your brand, every time you go out in public you are changing your brand – either for the better or worse.  If you show up to a meeting in torn jeans and a T-shirt – that says a lot about you, especially if your company is known for being professional and well-dressed.

Every interaction and everything you put on your company blog – or even your personal blog if you mention your business at all – can change people’s perception of your brand.

It’s easy to forget that your brand isn’t just a logo or identity package – it is the sum of all your parts.  With so many variables making it change without your knowledge (or approval!) it’s a good idea to get a handle on the things you CAN control.

If you are trying to instill confidence, dress it up a little.

Trying to appear casual – dress appropriately.

But there is a way to completely avoid being labeled as part of your company’s brand…

Promote your individual brand.  As they say – The Brand Called You.  It will out-shadow all of your other competing brands.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Like Gary Vee. »

I admit it – a couple of years ago I absolutely could not stand Gary Vaynerchuk.   I followed him on Twitter, not because I found him interesting, but because so many of my Friends were following him.  Every day I would log on to twitter and see his face snarling at me.  Why was he so angry all of the time?  How could anybody actually like someone who is always in a bad mood?

Your twitter profile icon says a lot about you in a tiny square.  For me, it has always been a picture of me smiling.  For some it is their business logo, and others it is the meme of the day.  But Gary’s (at the time) was a photo of him snarling and looking mean.  Seriously.

And, like many people, I judged a book by its cover.

When Gary came to Des Moines in 2008, shortly after Chris Pirillo came home for a week (it was a social media bonanza year and the year the great tweetups came upon us all) I scoffed and wanted nothing to do with it.  Gary Vee?  Bah, I’m more infamous on the Internet than Gary Vee.

Yes and no.

True, most people in #dmtweetup and #cib have no idea where I have worked and what I have done, but who’s fault is that?  Mine. I don’t toot my own horn a lot, but this Gary guy sure seemed full of himself.

Fast forward.

I gave Gary a second chance.  I have zero interest in wine – I can buy a $4 of Lindeman’s or Black Swan Merlot and be happy.  But if all my Friends and friends followed him, then maybe I should.  And if his book is that popular within my circle, maybe I should read it.

So I bought Crush It.  And there was Gary – smiling.  Reading the book, I found Gary not to be an obnoxious, self-loving jerk like his avatar led me to believe… but someone who is excited about his business and brand.  Genuinely excited.  An excitement I recognized having myself when I was in my 20’s.  As Obi Wan might say “An excitement  I haven’t felt in a long time.  A long time.” Even though he doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground, I would just like to apologize for dismissing him based on an avatar.

So the point of this blog post is two-fold I guess.  One: Don’t judge a tweeter by their icon.  Two: People DO judge tweeters by their icons – choose yours carefully.

And I guess thirdly – know when to admit you were wrong.