Fewer and fewer of your emails are being read, your organization’s social media plan feels misdirected and you’re struggling to increase interest in community events. Does this sound familiar? You are not alone. In this ever-evolving digital age we live in, how can you ensure that you and your organization remain relevant? The key is to comprehend the current digital condition and adapt to it.
comScore is a digital media analytics company which recently released a 2014 Year in Review Report titled U.S. Digital Future in Focus. This report offers exciting insight into the changing digital media landscape. We can draw conclusions from this report on how this will influence our communications with members and participants. In this report, comScore introduces many trends that it envisions impacting communications.
From December 2010 to December 2014, smartphone use increased by 394% and tablet use increased by 1,721%[1]. During this same time period, desktop computer usage increased by 37%. So what do these numbers mean? Digital media consumption is growing at an incredibly fast rate and it isn’t just a short-term trend. This changing digital environment provides new potential opportunities to engage with members, coworkers, and supporters. Americans engage with screens during more occasions throughout the day than they ever have before. You should be creating and posting content that your members want to share. This can be anything from an inspiring quote to fun pictures from an annual community picnic. Let your members help you advertise. Facebook remains the social media giant as of late but LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram can all be beneficial.
When your organization members are spending an exponentially increasing amount of time on their phones, your marketing plan needs to reflect this. Is your mobile site easy to navigate? Do you have or need a mobile version of your website? Are your emails formatted in ways that display correctly on both desktop computers and mobile devices? What are your SEO results like? If someone needs to access your website for a mailing address or staff phone number, they’re more likely to google your organization rather than search through thousands of emails on their mobile device to find a link. Mobile search, meaning a search was done on a mobile device or app, now accounts for 29% of all search activity, according to comScore. Google remains the search leader, followed by Bing and then Yahoo.
According to comScore, by the end of 2014, smartphone penetration reached 75% of the mobile user base. What goes hand-in-hand with smartphone usage? Apps. Your organization doesn’t need an app but have you considered using them to disseminate useful and necessary information?
Now is the time to focus on your organization’s digital future. Recent modernizations in technology and social media have created a low-cost framework for a period of growth and expansion of your organization.
[1] U.S. Digital Future in Focus 2015 pg 4
