Just about everyone these days is using some kind of social media, especially young adults and school age children. In January, Facebook announced that it passed one billion users. That’s billion, with a ‘b.’ You Tube, another popular site which allows you to publish short videos, has 800 million users and has four billion (there’s that number again) views a day. And Twitter, where users send out short messages that can be passed on to followers or “re-tweeted”, is expected to reach 500 million users.
That’s a lot of potential people seeing your fundraiser. So the next time you’re planning a school fundraiser you might want to consider using the various social media platforms out there. Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube are excellent tools that can be used to help boost sales and get the word out to a wider audience.
Facebook is the most popular social media outlet. Just about everybody these days has a Facebook page. Creating a Facebook page allows you to put information about your school or group on the Internet. Having an organizational meeting during fifth period in the library? No problem. Post it on Facebook. Need volunteers? Just put it on Facebook. Got relatives who live far away that might like to donate? You can even let them know using Facebook. Users of Facebook can “friend” each other. That way when you post something new all of your “friends” get the message.
Twitter allows users to send short messages to their “followers.” Once they get a tweet they can also “re-tweet” what you tweeted and pass it on to other Twitter users who may be outside your circle of followers. This allows you to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t know about your fundraiser. Tweets are short and they get the word out quick.
You Tube allows you to make short videos, then post them to the Internet where millions of people can see your work. Imagine how effective this can be to get the word out about your fundraiser. You Tube videos can be a lot of fun and also can give your students a chance to get creative.