Phoning In The Content And The Money

December 10, 2013      Admin

Digital world monitor comScore has released the latest figures on smartphone ownership in the US.

As of October, 149.2 million people in the US owned a smartphone, representing 62.5% penetration. The most common application on those phones by far is Facebook (76%), with apps like Google Search (52%), YouTube (48%), Gmail (46%), Instagram (26%) and Twitter (22%) trailing.

The first point to note is that all of these folks are now publishers of content. Remember how cameras used to be banned from concerts and other events where content was assumed to be controlled (to protect IP and create marketing value)? Those days are gone forever.

Then, tie the mobile ascendancy to this …

A new report from Pew Internet Research says 54% of adult internet users post original photos or videos online that they themselves have created. Pew calls them ‘creators’. And 47% of adult internet users take videos or photos they have found online and repost them on sites designed for sharing images with many people. Pew calls them ‘curators’.

What is your organization doing to tap the enthusiasm and capacity of your thousands of potential content creators and curators — image contributors and storytellers?

The second point is that more and more of your online gifts are (or should be) delivered via mobile access to your fundraising emails and websites.

I say “should be” because if by now your organization hasn’t paid attention to how its messages are displayed and how transactions are enabled (i.e., simplified) via mobile, you’re already slipping way behind the curve. Your less than optimal presentation of your cause or charity online is already costing you lost gifts … and your loss is only going to increase (some of it going to your more mobile savvy competitors).

So what is your organization doing to optimize the mobile experience you offer?

Tom

 

2 responses to “Phoning In The Content And The Money”

  1. Mike Cowart says:

    These stats are staggering. However, it’s my understanding that 93% of donations are still offline, and 85% of donations are from folks age 45+. Are they giving via mobile? To whom?
    Thanks!

  2. Denisa Casement says:

    Mike correctly points out that this “mobile revolution” is not a very big part of giving. The exception would be peer to peer giving, but that largely has to do with peer to peer fundraisers being younger.

    It really is an issue of budget. Yes, you need to have a mobile optimized or responsive website, but how much time and money do you spend on it? If you move budget from your high producing channels, which actually drive both offline and online donations, your income will suffer.

    Large charities don’t have to struggle quite as much with this issue. But, small and medium sized charities usually have to fight for every penny they get to spend on marketing. Invest appropriately by assessing your current online giving. Do not buy into the hype that you are missing out on huge amounts of donations because you aren’t spending big bucks on digital.

    We all know our most valuable donors are 50+ and there simply isn’t evidence that they are giving via mobile.