I stumbled upon a great article in the Boston Globe regarding how the Boston Police are finding success through their social networking efforts.

I certainly do not want to steal too much thunder from their article — if you have a few minutes, please read the whole thing here.

But here were a few of the highlights that stood out to me:

They Are Not Just Dabbling, They Have Embraced Social Media

The article discusses how the Boston Police Department has a much larger Twitter following than that of other cities.

They credit a lot of that success to their attitude and actions. Rather than simply thinking that’s enough to “be on Twitter” and simply wait-and-see how it goes, they have fully embraced its potential and power.

They Have a Strategy and They Are Following It

Many organizations struggle with this question — what exactly should we talk about on Twitter?

Well, the best way to answer that question is to create a strategy and plan ahead. During that process, you would identify what goals and objectives you’d like to achieve in marketing in general. Then, plot out a way for Twitter to help you reach them.

In the case of the Boston Police Department, they run a weekly hashtag event named #MostWantedMonday.

That is helping them to create awareness of wanted suspects and engage the public about them.

They Are Using Multiple Channels To Make Their Efforts Successful

You might be wondering this — are people actually reporting crimes through Twitter?

Most people would shy away from doing that. Thus, the Boston Police Department is utilizing multiple channels to engage and gain feedback from their audience.

They have a Text-To-Tip program which encourages their Twitter followers to share information via Text message, as opposed to a tweet.

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I think this is a great example of how an organization can effectively use Twitter. By following those three steps, companies of all shapes and sizes may be able to find success through their social networking efforts as well.