Facebook’s “Senior Surge”
February 8, 2010
Can’t ignore Facebook as a channel for reaching nonprofit donors.
Apart from the sheer volume of traffic on Facebook, 112 million unique visitors in 2009, as reported in Online Media Daily, consider this …
"…older users remain among the fastest-growing populations on Facebook. Men 45 to 54 showed the highest growth rate last month — with 472,000 joining, or 10.5%, followed closely by women 55 to 65, at 9.4% (391,000). That compares to growth rates, respectively, for the two groups of 0.8% and 1.6%. Why the senior surge?
Inside Facebook surmises that young people went home at Christmas and made their parents sign up. "Facebook saw massive traffic spikes around Christmas and New Year’s, according to Hitwise, and we wonder if this was when thousands of Facebook evangelists fired up the computer — or laptop, or netbook, or iPhone — and taught their relatives how Facebook works," noted Eric Eldon.
While it may be hard to imagine college-age kids trying to get their parents onto Facebook, one commenter suggested that empty nesters are increasingly turning to the site to maintain bonds with their children. Inside Facebook identified women 55 and over as the site’s fastest-growing group a year ago, increasing 175% during the prior 120 days. As that demographic has grown to 4.5 million, that rate has slowed considerably but is still respectable."
The older Facebook’s demographic gets, the more I like it as a fundraising channel.
Tom
