Photo by Sean MacEntee
If you are a nonprofit or a consistent fundraiser, then it’s time to hedge your bets and start investing in networks other than Facebook.
A recent study shows that the U.S. population is growing weary (note the sampling was only 1300) of the ultimate social network with most Americans expecting to spend less time on the network in the future.
Forbes reported that Facebook saw a 1.1% decline in U.S. users. In addition, of the 23 countries where Facebook’s penetration exceeded 50 percent, only nine expanded their user base over the past three months.
Plus the Like culture has become so pervasive that a Like really doesn’t mean anything anymore.
It does seem like the writing is on the wall for Facebook.
We’re already seeing a fracturing social networking environment with niche networks like Pinterest, Path, Instagram (owned by Facebook), Tumblr and others garnering significant market share.
With Facebook’s decline upon us, it’s time to start investing elsewhere to make sure we move with our communities.
Of course, the question becomes where do you invest your time?
How to Migrate
One of the best ways to determine where to migrate effort is to poll your existing Facebook community. What are their favorite alternate social networks? Go further, too, perhaps even set up a survey and find out what kinds of content they prefer from you. For example, you may find out they want more access to senior leadership, or perhaps more examples of how your field work is coming along.
You can also find out what types of content they prefer, eg. photos, questions, stories, etc. Once you determine the social network or two that serve the largest portions of your community, start investing time and build your presence. Don’t forget to listen and learn the norms of that particular network(s).
Remember, consistency is crucial here. If Facebook remains strong, you simply have a second relatively strong social network. If Facebook weakens, you’ll be able to pivot with your community and not miss a beat.
What do you think? Is Facebook in decline?