Some of the items I’ve Seen and Heard and found interesting online recently:
Consumers view social marketing as invasive: Online Media Daily’s Mark Walsh reports on a study by Insight Marketing Group. Some highlights: “…nearly two-thirds (64%) of people say they “hate” when a company targets them through their social networking profile.” BUT, “…A majority of those surveyed (55%) believe social networking sites are the best way to give a company feedback and that posting about a product or service on a social site can have a strong impact on a brand.”
Walsh says the bottom line for marketers to keep in mind is that “…people like being able to provide feedback to marketers via social media -- but they don’t necessarily want to be followed by them.” For more insights, see the full report.
Why most Facebook users get more than they give: Pew Internet drills down into Facebook user habits, describing “power users who specialize in different Facebook activities and contribute much more than the typical user does.” Pew’s findings include the fact that women make more status updates than men, and “there is little evidence of Facebook fatigue.” See Pew’s write-up
here.
Mobile shopping for charities (use of testimonials): The Agitator discusses Pew’s study of how people use their cell phones to help them make purchasing decisions – and how that relates to nonprofit fundraising. Many people call a friend or check an online price while they’re in the store; similarly, they look to a charity’s website for validation (testimonials, Charity Navigator, etc.). For more on how consumers’ habits could translate to donors, see this article.
New postal rates chart: Believe it or not, there’s some great news for nonprofits in the USPS’s new rates: nonprofit mailers that use advanced analysis and logistics practices for their mailings can actually SAVE money with these new rates! See how you can make sure your program qualifies.
