Editor's Note: Each week, Law Officer will post a Social Media Quick Tip that's intended to help law enforcement officers better navigate the world of social media.
It’s called a Twitter stream. Think of it like a stream of water—sometimes a voracious river—and it never stops flowing. Most of your followers see it that way. Some people hang on your department’s every word, and will check your page and read every tweet. But that’s not the norm.
I’ve seen it said that a tweet’s life is anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. If you have an important topic to tweet about, in order to maximize chances of it getting read by the most followers, consider sending it out two or three times a day every day leading up to the event. You’ll have to write each Tweet differently or Twitter may not send it, but that forces you to be more creative.
For four weeks leading up to a recent recruiting initiative, the Bellevue (Neb.) PD tweeted information about testing and deadlines. The department tweeted a couple times the first week and more frequently as the deadline grew closer, with two or three tweets a day the final week. The department also put information on its Facebook page once a week. The combined strategy generated a great deal of conversation and awareness in both venues.
You can use Twitter management tools or social media dashboards, such as Tweetdeck or HootSuite, to write all the tweets at once and schedule them to go out.
Want More?
Want to learn more about social media, the Internet and law enforcement? Attend the SMILE Conference, which will be hosted by the Chicago Police Department, May 9-11. To learn more or to register, click here. Get $100 off the registration cost by using the code lawofficersmiler.