Using social media

Social media can help build a real buzz around your event. From the moment you start planning your event, keep your supporters updated. Use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to help spread the word about your fundraiser and why you are supporting us.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the easiest ways to spread the word. The more you post, the more donations you're likely to receive! If you don't have a Facebook account, see if you can use a friend's to put out a few posts.

Posts work best when you make them personal. Be yourself and talk to your followers as you would in person. Humour can also be a great way to keep your supporters interested! 

Once you've created your fundraising page remember to add a link in all your posts.

The Facebook donate feature is still a little tricky for charities to track where donations are from and for what event so we would still rather you set up a fundraising page with JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving, but contact us if you need more information on Facebook donate buttons. 

Remember Facebook is about talking. It’s good to reply to comments and thank people for their support on your page.

Join the Tommy's Facebook groups for large scale events to chat to others and share fundraising and training tips.

Stairs are my enemy  

Twitter

Link up with us on Twitter. We can be found at @tommys

Tweets are short and sweet – remember to share your fundraising page link. Ask people who follow you to retweet to share your posts with their followers. 

The best way to build a following is to mention other tweeters in your post and then they’re likely to follow you. A tweet like “Wearing X brand socks for my training” might just encourage the company and its followers to follow you!

Instagram

Instagram is a simple and fun way to edit and share photos and videos with your friends and family. As Instagram is mainly pictures use them to tell your story and your fundraising journey. Use the stories to create videos of you training, baking for cake sales or talking about your event.

Below are some ideas of what you can post. 

Share pictures and videos on stories    

Your first training session

Your inspiration for raising money for us

You in your fancy dress costume or sports gear

Regular updates on smashing your fundraising targets or your prep for the event

Your friends and family making their banner and cheering props

Anything and everything that you think will excite your friends is worth a mention. 

Cheering kit    Runner cyclist training 

Using Hashtags

If your social media account is open to the public you can use hashtags to connect with others. Find out what others are already using. Try tags relevant to you such as #MarathonTraining #BabyLoss #RainbowBaby #TogetherForChange #BreakingTheSilence

Be sure to tag us @tommys in your posts so we can keep up-to-date with how you're doing.

Share your target

Sharing your target and keeping friends updated with how far you've come is a great way to create urgency for them to donate. Think about sharing posts after payday and think about when you personally have time to sit and look at your social media – others might follow a similar pattern.