There are 17 million Australians using the internet on a regular basis. For many Australians, the growing trend has been to spend more time online on social media networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter regardless of where you are or what you are doing. It has become part of our daily routine to share our lives and found out more about our friends, family and networks’ lives online. Facebook for example currently reaches 69% of the 17 million users within Australia with an overwhelming rate of 17 billion page views per month. The amount of active users are higher than other forms of media available in Australia.

Below is an infographic of Australian social media usage statistics in 2012. The information is from The Yellow Social Media Report in 2012, which goes into greater detail of how social media is impacting the Australian culture and lifestyle.

Why Is This Important To Understand?

This information is useful to understand since our online fundraising platform, People Pledge uses the power of social media to draw attention to your Pledge Page and therefore drive more donations that will go towards covering the cost of your medical bills. Understanding how often, when and why Australian internet users are on social media websites provides us with a greater understanding of how to get more donations.

3 Important Points To Keep In Mind When Fundraising Online

1) Majority (97 percent) of users of social media are found on Facebook. Therefore we urge all our fundraisers to have access to their own Facebook account and to use this regularly as a way to get your fundraising page noticed. It is easy to link your Facebook with other social networking websites such as Twitter and Instagram to give you a wider reach of potential donors.

2) 26 percent of users are on social media websites everyday. Having regular updates and being active on your social media about your fundraising page gives you a greater chance of getting more donations. Staying active online has now become even easier with the access of social media networking sites on laptops, phones, tablets and other electronic devices for ease of use and when you are out and about.

3) Keep in mind when Australians are using their social media. with 63% of users online after school or work hours, it is important to keep active during these times as you will have a better likelihood of attracting support from your network.