Infographic: How to Hone Your Nonprofit's Social Media Approach

Image via Score.org

Liking, tweeting, sharing, posting, repinning—no matter a person’s age, social media is a big part of life. But on which platforms should your organization be most focused? The answer may come down to your target demographics.

“Content Marketing: Social Media,” an infographic Score.org compiled, delves into best practices for social media in small businesses—but a number of the principles here also apply to nonprofit organizations. Below, find some of the survey's significant findings.

• Facebook is the most popular social media platform across all age ranges: 87 percent for ages 18 to 29, 73 percent for ages 30 to 49, 63 percent for ages 50 to 64, and 56 percent for those 65 and older.
• The combined percentages of individuals who are ages 65 and older and use other social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest) are less than the 56 percent who use Facebook.
• Of those ages 18 to 29, 53 percent reported using Instagram—the highest percentage reported by any age group for a platform outside of Facebook.
• At 31 percent, respondents ages 30 to 49 reported using LinkedIn the most.

But selecting the right platform for your organization’s audience is just a step on the path to social media success. When and how often to post also are critical components. For instance, 49 percent more people share content on weekdays than on weekends, and 42 percent of business-to-business organizations post daily or multiple times per week, while 48 percent of business-to-consumer companies post more than once a week.

Take advantage of social media as a tool for your organization. More frequent posting and sharing allows more people to see your information and become familiar with your name and cause. And a better understanding of which age ranges use which platforms allows for more targeted approaches.

Download the full infographic here.