Social Media Best Practices for Medical Fundraising
Addiction Recovery Fundraising
Fundraising Tips & Ideas
CaringWays® Success Stories
Social media is a powerful tool that has revolutionized fundraising. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram connect us with friends and family so that we can stay updated on what’s happening in their lives. For patients or families who are fundraising for medical treatment or raising support for addiction recovery, social media is a powerful tool to help spread the word and invite people to donate.
According to an in-depth study on medical fundraising, the amount of money raised is strongly correlated with updates and shares on social media. Another study found that most donors (61%) heard about medical campaigns through social media.
There’s no denying that social media is a powerful tool that can help you maximize the success of your CaringWays campaign. But how do you leverage the various social media platforms for medical fundraising? As a crowdfunding platform built specifically for medical fundraising, CaringWays helps patients maximize the success of their campaigns because we know that every dollar makes a difference.
Here are seven best practices to help you leverage the power of social media to expand the reach of your campaign and raise more for your loved one:
1. Keep your posts simple.
Telling your story is an important part of your CaringWays campaign. However, social media works best when you quickly capture a reader’s attention and then provide a way for them to learn more.
On average, desktop users tend to spend 2.5 seconds on any piece of content on social media. Some people may skip over long posts. That’s why it’s important to keep the posts you share as short and simple as possible.
2. Share your personal connection.
Social media has always been about people and the power of human connection. People are drawn to stories that create a personal connection. Research shows that people are more likely to donate if they feel a personal connection to the campaign.
You can create a personal connection by sharing a photo of you and the patient, highlighting a favorite memory, or sharing why you’ve personally decided to give to a CaringWays campaign.
3. Post on various social media platforms to reach different networks of supporters.
One reality of social media is that we are connected with different networks of people on each platform. For example, a patient might be connected with work colleagues on LinkedIn and their long-time friends on Facebook. In order to maximize the power of social media, consider how each platform can help you reach different networks of supporters for your campaign.
4. Use hashtags and tagging to expand the reach of your campaign.
The right hashtag can be a game changer for your CaringWays campaign. When people use a hashtag when posting about your campaign, it creates an easy way to link all the posts together and create a viral effect.
One successful use of a hashtag was the #IceBucketChallenge, a viral fundraising trend that swept social media when it debuted. While your campaign might not raise millions of dollars, finding the right hashtag is a creative way to share your CaringWays campaign on social media and beyond.
5. Provide regular updates and post your campaign frequently… but not too frequently.
Regularly updating your CaringWays campaign is an essential part of medical fundraising success. It’s important to regularly post about your campaign in case there are people who missed your initial posts. However, posting too much might cause your friends and followers to tune out the updates. Studies have shown that crowdfunding organizers who post updates every five days or so raise three times more than those who don’t post updates at all.
6. Promote creative ideas for your campaign through social media.
One secret to medical fundraising success is to find outside-the-box ideas to promote your campaign. Hosting an event, creating competition, or inviting people to share encouragement provides benefits beyond the idea itself. They also provide compelling content for you to share on social media.
7. Ask people to share, even if they can’t donate.
Most people want to help whenever a friend or family member is going through a medical emergency. But some might not have the financial capacity to donate to the campaign at this moment. Just because they can’t donate doesn’t mean they can’t make a difference. As you post about your CaringWays campaign on social media, invite people to share the campaign, even if they don’t donate. You never know who might be compelled to give as people spread the word about your campaign on social media.
Our team cares about helping you reach your goal to maximize the success of your campaign. Whether you’re thinking about starting a campaign or in the middle of your fundraising efforts, be sure to check out our other CaringWays campaign resources for your medical fundraising efforts:
