Time to Stop Dabbling in Social Media

Is your non-profit a "dabbler" in social media?  If you work for one of the 70+%* of non-profits out there, the chances are very good that your non-profit is a dabbler.  Well, I'm here to report that it's time to stop dabbling.  In case Facebook's 400 million members who spend an average of 55 minutes a day on the site still suggests nothing but a passing fad, a recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project drives home the message big time that the social web has arrived with a big fat bow around his (or her) neck.   Here are some recent statistics from the report:

•    73% of online** 12-17 year-olds use social networking websites, up from 55% in November 2008
•    72% of online young adults (18-29) use social networking websites (yup, that's 72%)
•    39% of online adults (30+) use social networking sites
•    Of those adults who have profiles, 52% have two or more of them and 73% are on Facebook
•    Online 12 - 17 year-olds also think Twitter is lame with only 8% of them using it (sorry Twitter)

And the nature of their social networking is changing too.  Whereas online adults 30 and up are blogging more now than two years ago, young adults and teens are blogging significantly less.  For the whipper snappers out there, it's more about sharing photos, links, and short updates.

Oh, and everyone is buying stuff too.  48% of online teens have bought things online - up from 31% in 2000 (that was a lot more than I expected, by the way).  Meanwhile, adults are all about buying things online with 75% of online adults having bought a product online.  Unlike their younger counterparts, adults are less likely to buy totally off the recommendation of a friend.

So what do we take from all of this?  It's time for organizations to dive in and start developing relationships with advocates, donors, and service recipients where they are already talking.

(Check out the report to see even more striking data on usage across various demographics and mediums.)

* Common Knowledge, NTEN, and The Port did a benchmark of study late 2008/early 2009 to better understand how non-profits are using social media.  The results are here.  (Sorry that you have to register...but you know how it is.)

** Yeah, but how many people are actually online?  A lot.  93% of 12-17 year olds; 93% of 18-29 year olds; 81% of 30-49 year olds; 70% of 50-64 year olds; and 38% of 65+ year olds.  You can check out the data here.

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