5 Insightful Findings to Benefit Nonprofits from The Social Habit Report

I began a Social Media Series this past summer that focused on optimizing nonprofit fundraising and engagement opportunities and I have since extended it throughout the year. As the social media landscape continuously evolves, it’s important for nonprofits to stay abreast of emerging features to better understand and utilize the social platforms they have a presence in. It’s also important that nonprofits pay attention to reliable social media stats like user demographics, habits and trends.

I recently came across “The Social Habit” report by Edison Research and Arbitron. The 20th edition of this research surveyed 2,020 participants over the age of 12 by both mobile and regular phone and the results were rather insightful and could help nonprofits better understand the growth, demographic and power of various platforms. The following are 5 insights that stood out to me in the findings:

1. Americans with a social networking site profile has more than doubled since 2008 from 24% to 56% in early 2012. The growth that social networking has experienced is tremendous but it seems to be stagnating with only a 4% increase from last year’s 52% result. How much further growth there will be remains to be seen, but social networking is here to stay and will remain a leading connect to supporters. Strategies should be planned in advance on platforms that best reach the widest segment of your supporter demographic. Recommended reading: 8 Social Media and Online Basics for Nonprofit Fundraising and 10 Website Tips to Maximize Nonprofit Fundraising and Engagement Opportunities.
2. It is common knowledge that Facebook dominates the social networking landscape with an estimated 143 million Americans with a profile and 54% of respondents in this research confirming having a profile. Not surprisingly 50% or more of respondents in every age category under the age 54 also had a profile. An overwhelming 79% of respondents followed a brand on Facebook over any other platform. Beyond having access to a wider audience the benefits include the ability to creatively raise cause awareness, strong brand marketing and cultivating a community of supporters. Having a cohesive presence on Facebook is essential to any successful social media plan. Recommended reading: 7 Facebook Page Set-Up Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising and 6 Facebook Considerations for Nonprofit Fundraising and Outreach.
3. Although only 10% of those surveyed reported having ever used Twitter, 41% of those that did accessed the network almost every day. 76% posted updates which is much higher than the 66% who responded they post updates on any social networking site. Despite the lower responses towards Twitter in this research, Twitter still has power when it comes to increasing visibility and engagement as users are very active and post frequently. Proper setup and creative use of the platform can strengthen a nonprofit’s social media presence. Recommended reading: 6 Twitter Setup Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising, 6 Twitter User Insights to Increase Nonprofit Fundraising & Engagement, 10 Tips to Help Nonprofits Optimize Reach and Engagement via Twitter and 4 Creative Ways Nonprofits Can Use Twitter to Engage & Communicate.
4. According to The Social Habit, more than a third (37%) of respondents have watched a YouTube video in the past week while 47% had shared one video in the past month. As the second largest search engine next to Google, YouTube has a large natural appeal because of the visual message it can convey and a nonprofit should capitalize on every opportunity to deliver their message to potential supporters using the power of video. Recommended reading: 6 Ways to Maximize Online Video Marketing for Nonprofit Fundraising Appeals and Supporter Engagement,  8 Types of Online Videos to Help Increase Supporter Engagement and Nonprofit Fundraising and 6 Steps to Producing Successful On-Screen Nonprofit Videos
5. Mobile access clearly continues to be a critical social media component as over 54% of respondents access social networking sites through their mobile devices. Considering that 61% of respondents own a smart phone, and mobile only continues to grow, it’s important to optimize websites and blogs for mobile use, while ensuring that links back to your sites are included across all your social media profiles ultimately creating a strong hub. Recommended reading: 4 Key Reasons to Incorporate Mobile Marketing into Overall Nonprofit Fundraising and Outreach Plans and 7 Tips to Consider When Establishing a Mobilized Website for Nonprofits

Although the report is not specific to nonprofits, the findings are applicable and the results can still help nonprofits tailor their social media plans to their target supporters utilizing platforms most popular within that demographic.

Feel free to browse through the other posts in our Social Media Series for nonprofits which includes a series on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest along with other related topics.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.