Top Social Media Sites by Market Share for March 2013

As social media platforms and usage continues to evolve, nonprofits are meeting the demand by increasing their presence on platforms to engage supports and grow their online communities. As part of our Social Media series for nonprofit fundraising, we have written extensively about powerhouse platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest  and many others. However it’s often a challenge for organizations to determine if there are any benefits to establishing a presence on other smaller or emerging platforms that could potentially tap into a segment of the online population that caters to a demographic missed by the larger platforms.

Dreamgrow, a social media and internet marketing company recently released March 2013’s U.S. Market Share of Visits statistics, outlining the top 10 social media sites and platforms and those that have moved up and down in the rankings. The following are the latest results:

Top Sites:

• 1st – Not surprisingly Facebook continues to dominate the social media landscape with more than half the market share at 58.51%. Having maintained the top spot since mid 2009 there are no signs that the platform will lose its placement any time soon. As the largest network, nonprofits ensure they maintain a Facebook presence and actively engage supporters as that is where they are most likely to expand their reach. Recommended reading: Understanding Facebook’s Analytics for Stronger Nonprofit Fundraising & Community Engagement.
• 2nd – YouTube comes in second with almost a quarter of the total market share with 24.15%. Having secured the number two spot since the second quarter of 2010, the popularity of the platform reaffirms that videos have a strong impact on users and is an excellent way for nonprofits to tap into their storytelling abilities to convey cause-related messages that can be shared on other networks. Recommended reading: 4 Winners from the 2013 DoGooder Video Awards for Nonprofits.
• 3rd – Twitter maintains the third spot since May 2011 albeit with a low 1.72% market share. The platform can be complimentary to other social media initiatives and since its recent purchase of Vine, the short 6-second video sharing platform, the value is tremendous and there are varied ways Twitter can be used to connect with a community of supporters that are hyper-engaged through this micro-blogging software. Recommended reading: 5 Management Tools to Measure Twitter Analytics for Optimal Nonprofit Fundraising and Engagement.

Top Gainers:

• YouTube gained 1.22% over the previous month and I expect it will continue to trend upwards. Nonprofits could use YouTube as either a standalone initiative or to complement others. Recommended reading: 5 Top Nonprofit Videos from YouTube and the Lessons Learned from Them.
• LinkedIn had an increase of 0.07% market share in March compared to February and a 2.6% increase since December of 2012, surpassing Google+ and placing 6th overall. Interesting to note is that LinkedIn is expected to continue to grow in the coming months, April and May in particular as they are considered active business months. Though LinkedIn can be a tricky platform to engage the average supporter, nonprofits can make good use of this platform to tap into a more professional and affluent demographic. Recommended reading: 3 LinkedIn Tips to Maximize Nonprofit Engagement.

Other analyzed sites include Pinterest – 1.14%, Yahoo! Answers – 1.04%, Google+ – 0.79%, Tagged – 0.51%, Tumblr – 0.42% and Instagram – 0.36%. Smaller platforms may have their benefits, however it’s important for nonprofits to consider whether the time invested in maintaining a presence will ultimately further their cause, increase engagement and lead to donations. You can review all of the latest March 2013’s U.S. Market Share of Visits data, our top 10 social media posts from 2012 or our entire Social Media series for more valuable information.

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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.