Social Networks/ Media - what's your strategy?
Posted by Vinay Bhagat at Apr 22, 2008 03:58 PM CDT
Categories: Research, Social Media

At our recent client advisory board, we asked how much are you investing in social networks now and what results are you seeing.  I think it's fair to say that the interest level has dropped somewhat from 6-12 months ago, when Causes on Facebook had just launched.   Several clients commented that they were finding it hard to justify significant human resource investment on social networks/ media when using traditional ROI metrics that they use for direct response marketing.

While it's likely that social networks are not going to be a major contributor in the short term to revenue, I continue to believe they can be an effective tool for outreach and brand extension.  Certain groups like Oxfam America have also found success in recruiting new online activists through venues like MySpace.

New research by Virilion and Harris Interactive suggests moderate interest in "keeping up with nonprofits through social media": 30% of donors/engaged supporters were somewhat or very interested but 51% were not at all interested.

Our recently published Wired Wealthy research of $1000+ donors also found moderate activity levels in social networks/ media amongst this group of key donors (who are largely boomers)

    * 39% view videos (11% regularly)
    * 25% read blogs (9% regularly)
    * 20% use SMS (10% regularly)
    * 8% comment on a blog   (2% regularly)

We found marked differences by donor segment.  We looked at attitudinal or psychographic segments and found three distinct groups – “all business”, “relationship seekers” and “casual connectors”.  The participation in social media among the relationship seeker segment is MUCH higher.  Some verticals like animal welfare and environmental groups have a much higher preponderance of “relationship seekers” arguing for a proactive social media strategy in these verticals in particular.

Vinay 

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