Twitter Tips and Tweets

If your organization has a Twitter account, Safe + Sound Week is a good time to alert your customers and other “followers” about your commitment to a safe and healthy workplace. Since Twitter is followed by journalists and professionals, as well as consumers, it’s also an opportunity to join the conversation about safety and health by promoting your participation.

Below is information about Twitter and tips on how to use it effectively, followed by sample Safe + Sound Week tweets. You can customize the tweets as part of your Safe + Sound Week outreach efforts, or make your own 140-character tweets. Visit the Safe + Sound Week website for more tips and sample posts for other social media platforms.

What Is Twitter? Started more than a decade ago, Twitter is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages (“tweets”) of 140 characters or less. Most businesses use Twitter to enhance their brand or connect with current trends. Although the public can view your Twitter page, individuals must follow your page for your tweets to appear in their Twitter feed. Because there are over 300 million active users and approximately 500 million tweets per day on Twitter, the average lifespan of a tweet is only 20 seconds to a couple of hours. Only 6 percent of tweets are “retweeted,” and nearly all of those occur within the first hour of posting.

Tips for Using Twitter Effectively  Start a conversation: Share a short message about how a safe workplace is a sound business. Reply to users who engage with your post to let them know you’re listening to their feedback and comments.

 Tweet often: Since most tweets don’t stay in a user’s feed for long, the more often you tweet, the more likely you are to be retweeted. Try to tweet about Safe + Sound Week several times a day before the week begins and during the week to ensure your followers and other users can see and interact with your message. It’s okay to repost the same content.

 Use a hashtag: To be part of the Safe + Sound Week conversation, include the hashtag #SafeAndSound in your tweets. They could be highlighted on the Safe + Sound Week website. Consider also including a hashtag that is commonly followed in your industry, profession, or geographic location to spread the word about Safe + Sound Week.

 Make it visual: Twitter works best with photos and videos. If you post photos of your Safe + Sound Week activities, make sure that your photos show your best safety practices, tag them #SafeAndSound, and feature your company name and logo in the photo to receive recognition for your activities. Keep any videos to 60 seconds or less.  Listen more than you talk: Search the #SafeAndSound hashtag in Twitter to see what other participating organizations are tweeting. If you find a supplier, customer, or other influential voice in your industry tweeting during Safe + Sound Week, retweet to amplify both of your messages. Sample Safe + Sound Week Tweets You can customize the sample tweets below to promote your participation in Safe + Sound Week, or create your own under 140 characters. To spread your message to a wider audience, include the hashtag #SafeAndSound.

When to Post What to Post Several weeks to one We’re committed to keeping our workers safe and sound. Join us in participating week before in #SafeAndSound Week June 12-18!

 Partici pant web badge Beginning of the week It’s #SafeAndSound Week! Want to know how being a safe workplace makes us a sound business? Follow us this week to learn more! OR Did you know there are 4 million job-related injuries/illnesses and 4,000 work- related deaths annually in the US? #SafeAndSound Week During the week Our management sets a #SafeAndSound example by [insert a phrase under 90 characters, for example “making safety and health core organizational values at (company)”].  Suggested visual: Management leadership core element icon  Or, a photo of the CEO wearing proper personal protective equipment During the week We listen to our workers when it comes to [insert a phrase under 80 characters, for example “keeping [company] a safe and sound workplace”]. #SafeAndSound  Suggested visual: Worker participation core element icon  Or, a photo of a worker participation activity During the week We’re going to make our workplace even safer this week by [insert a phrase under 80 characters, for example “holding a scavenger hunt to find hazards & fix them before someone gets injured”]. #SafeAndSound  Suggested visual: Find and fix core element icon  Or, a photo of workers ready to find and fix hazards End of the week Even though #SafeAndSound Week is over, our commitment to a safe and healthy workplace will keep us a sound, sustainable business. Disclaimer: This document was created by the Safe + Sound Week co-sponsors, OSHA, NSC, AIHA, ASSE, and NIOSH. The Safe + Sound Week co-sponsors do not necessarily endorse or sanction the company-specific statements in this document.