As a social media observer and new media enthusiast, guru, I have seen candidates or their staffers Tweeting out that the candidate is now doing something, usually with a picture on Twitpic or similar service. This is wrong, wrong I say. Why?  Basically, it puts your audience in crisis mode and neglects the before and after effects of your tweet or status update.  Here are three tips to make that one tweet a much more effective message.

1. Tweet Well Before the Event

Every day your campaign will have a schedule of appearances. You’re either going to meetings, appearing on television or radio, or some other event.  If these events are on the record and you can tell people about them you should tweet to your audience that your candidate will be attending or doing whatever he/she is doing.  It would be best a few days earlier and at least a post every day before the event occurs, with directions or more information. This will give your audience time to prepare or schedule to attend the meeting. It goes toward motivating your base to always come and show support!

2. Tweet During the Event

This is the time to tweet your status at the event.  Obviously, you want to tweet out a picture of your candidate in the studio of the television or radio station, but really what you should do is use your campaign website’s blog feature.  Using Twitpic or YFrog are great for personal use, but as a campaign, you should be directing people to your website.  You should be looking for opportunities to drive traffic to your site, not these other picture hosting services. For a radio appearance, a simple post with a picture in the studio and link to the station’s livestream is the best.  That way your audience can participate. Also, this is a great way to direct people to donate. Say something like, “Keep the momentum going, donate today!” You want to use this event in your day to keep your voter focused on the campaign, get them to do something (give $$ hopefully).

3. Tweet After the Event

After the event this is the time to let people know what happened. Yes, there are still people that are clueless and will have missed your radio spot, or television appearance. This is where you use the infamous acronym “ICYMI” (in case you missed it).  Direct your followers to the same page, some sort of a post thanking the host of the show, etc. And always ask for a contribution.

If you follow these simple steps; tweet before, during, and after, you’ll be more apt to see a greater return on your new media communication, fundraising, and supporter engagement.