During the month of October, we are taking a look at social media services and breaking down their key attributes to introduce you to some of the latest players in the game. Click to learn more about the Investigating Social Media Services series. 

You may be slightly familiar with Thunderclap – a service that was referred to in a previous blog post: Phoneblok is Super Cool, But Thunderclap is Even Cooler; Here’s Why.

Thunderclap is a crowdspeaking platform that helps people or brands disperse a single, focused message through a mass audience of supporters – all at the same time via Twitter and Facebook.

So, what’s the process?

1. A brand or individual creates a message and recruits a number of supporters (a goal is designated) to propel the message all at the same time – a set date/time – via Twitter and Facebook. The message has 140-character limit including link. It is recommended a hashtag is used.
2. Thunderclap recommends 2 to 3 weeks per campaign, with a strategic launch date based around significant date or product launch. Many companies and individuals are using the service for cause marketing as well. So monthly cause holidays (e.g. Breast Cancer Awareness month) are often used.
3. Brands and individuals promote the Thunderclap via social media and any appropriate outlets with a clear call to action.  Example: “Click through to donate a tweet or Facebook status to Michigan workers. At 10AM tomorrow, we’ll speak with one voice.”
4. Throughout the entire “recruitment period”, the company or individual is looking to secure a specific number of supporters. If this goal is reached, the message will be sent out via all supporters at exactly the same time, creating an “online flash mob.”

Wheewww… sounds like a lot! But it is fairly simple. Check out a number of Thunderclaps that are currently happening to help paint the picture.

The critical piece here is to craft a simple message that is consistently and constantly promoted on all available channels in order to reach your goal number of supporters. Though it can be a way to gain followers, this service is mainly about spreading awareness of a campaign or cause. While we would not recommend solely promoting your message with a Thunderclap, it can be a component to add to your current campaign strategy.

The regular service is free, but there is also $500 PRO account, which gives you access to the your Thunderclaps’ statistics. Interested in investigating this service further? We recommend start by supporting an existing Thunderclap. Test it out for yourself as a user and ask yourself questions such as: Did you find out about new causes or new campaigns? Is it something you would do again? Was it easy to participate?

If you sign up, let us know what you think.