Almost Half of Online Americans Use the Internet for Religious Purposes

According to a new study from Grey Matter Research (Phoenix, AZ), 44% of online American adults (that’s 35% of all American adults) use the Internet for religious purposes. During the last 6 months:

·         19% have visited the website of a church or other place of worship they’re currently attending

·         17% have visited the website of a church or place of worship they’re not attending

·         19% have visited a website designed to provide religious instruction or learning

·         17% read religion-oriented blogs once a month or more

·         14% have a pastor or other religious leader as a friend on Facebook or a similar social network site

·         11% have visited the website of a group or organization from a religious faith that’s different from their own

·         1 out of 10 have “Liked” a church or other place of worship on Facebook or a similar social network site

·         8% participate in religion-oriented discussions online (e.g. bulletin boards or forums) once a month or more

·         2% follow a church or other place of worship on Twitter

·         2% follow a pastor or other religious leader on Twitter

·         57% of online adults under age 35 use the Internet for religion, compared to 48% who are 35 to 49 years old, 36% who are 50 to 64, and 31% who are 65 or older.

Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, notes how much diversity there is in how the Internet is used for spiritual purposes:

No one type of religious use or method dominates Internet religion. Eight different activities we evaluated saw participation from between 8% and 19% of online adults, from blogs to church websites to social media. There’s tremendous diversity in who is using the Web for spirituality, but also in how it’s getting used for that purpose.

Read this in full.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you connect your brand’s content with searching people.

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Innovative Bookshelves & Buildings Made Out of Books

Flavorpill (@flavorpill) has compiled photos of creative bookshelves...

...and buildings constructed of books.

Also see our previous blogposts

·         “Photos: The 20 Coolest Bookstores in the World”

·         “The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World”

·         “20 More Beautiful Bookstores from Around the World”

·         “Video: What Books Do After Hours”

·         “Bookworm Bookcase”

·         “20 Insanely Creative Bookshelves” and

·         “The Book Surgeon.”

For all book lovers (print and ebook alike), we (@smrsault) invite you to make our SomersaultNOW online dashboard your personal computer homepage (see instructions).

Infographic: Facebook Brand Pages Lag Behind In 'Likes'

New research by audience research and targeting company Crowd Science (@crowdscience) says Facebook brand pages have been ‘liked’ by only 9% of Internet users — trailing the number of ‘likes’ for all other Facebook elements.

No single type of Facebook feature has attracted ‘likes’ from more than 20% of all survey respondents in the study – one potential reason why Facebook is moving to its new Timeline layout. “These findings show that while users have been willing to ‘like’ Facebook items to some extent, they’re far from loving the idea,” says Sandra Marshall, VP of Research at Crowd Science.

Wall posts, pictures, and comments lead the ‘likes’ list, each having been ‘liked’ by 16% of respondents. These are followed by videos (12%), non-branded pages (10%), and branded pages (9%).

Those who have ‘liked’ branded pages tend to skew younger and spend more time on the Internet.

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Consumers Want Brands to be Transparent to a Fault

According to trendwatching.com (@trendwatching), “consumers will truly embrace brands that don't hide (or ignore) all their flaws.” It terms this trend “Flawsome”:

Consumers don't expect brands to be flawless. In fact, consumers will embrace brands that are FLAWSOME: brands that are still brilliant despite having flaws; even being flawed (and being open about it) can be awesome. Brands that show some empathy, generosity, humility, flexibility, maturity, humor, and (dare we say it) some character and humanity.

Two key drivers are fueling the FLAWSOME trend:

·         HUMAN BRANDS: Everything from disgust at business to the influence of online culture (with its honesty and immediacy), is driving consumers away from bland, boring brands in favor of brands with some personality.

·         TRANSPARENCY TRIUMPH: Consumers are benefiting from almost total and utter transparency (and thus are finding out about flaws anyway), as a result of the torrent of readily available reviews, leaks, and ratings.

Read this in full.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you identify and take advantage of trends that will advance your brand.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Brand Owners Must Build Social Media Skills

As reported in the study Demystifying Social Media (#mcksocial) by Roxane Divol (@rdivol), David Edelman (@davidedelman), and Hugo Sarrazin (@HugoSarrazin) in McKinsey Quarterly (@McKQuarterly) (YouTube channel), brand owners seeking to make the most of social media must learn to “monitor,” “respond,” “amplify,” and “lead” on these sites.

·         Monitoring brand buzz is the core function of social media as it applies throughout the purchasing decision journey.

·         Responding to positive and negative comments is crucial for brand protection. “No response can be quick enough, and the ability to act rapidly requires the constant, proactive monitoring of social media—on weekends too. By responding rapidly, transparently, and honestly, companies can positively influence consumer sentiment and behavior.”

·         Amplification involves designing marketing activities to have an inherently social motivator that spurs broader engagement and sharing. It means offering experiences that customers will feel great about sharing, because they gain a badge of honor by publicizing content that piques the interest of others.

·         The fourth role of social media is to “lead” and encourage behavior change.

Read this in full.

Another study says the quality of customer service offered by US brands on social media strongly influences buying habits. The 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer says the average person using social media to get customer service is subsequently willing to spend 21% extra on a brand if the service is “excellent.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you effectively market your brand, both online and offline.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Branding and Marketing/PR tabs.

10 Principles for Communicating Christians

This article in Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) by Kent Annan (@kentannan) draws organizational communication lessons from a recent social justice viral video. He says, “We can all keep striving to better understand how to work toward justice not only with our actions, but also with how we tell people's stories. Jesus' so-called Golden Rule should serve as the overarching guide: ‘You should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you’ (Matt. 7:12 CEB).”

His 6 principles are:

1.    People need a clear, compelling next step....

2.    The audience is who you're talking to—and who you're talking about....

3.    Be virally prepared....

4.    Take care when casting the hero and agent of change....

5.    The pitch is the message....

6.    Be attentive, not safe....

Read this in full.

Also see Ken Davis’ (@KenDavisLive) guest post on Michael Hyatt’s (@MichaelHyatt) blog, “4 Characteristics of Effective Communicators”:

1.    Prepare a message with a singular and crystal clear focus….

2.    Read an audience and customize the presentation to make that audience want to listen….

3.    Be passionate about the subject….

4.    Leave the audience no doubt about how to benefit from the talk’s objective….

Read this in full.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you tell your story.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Tablets Fuel New Habits

Consumers who own tablets are adopting new communications habits, but are also making fewer visits to stores, according to multimarket research.

InMobi (@inmobi), the mobile advertising network, and Mobext (@mobext), the agency run by Havas, polled 8,400 people in India, France, South Korea, the UK, and US, finding 69% of tablet owners shopped via the devices in the 30 days before the survey.

·         Over 20% of tablet early adopters claim to have made less trips to brick-and-mortar stores after obtaining the device. A third of people yet to own such an appliance hope to buy one in the next 6 months.

·         61% of the existing tablet community says this channel plays a key role in building brand awareness when used at home, as do 58% for "active evaluation," and 63% for completing transactions.

·         58% of people with an iPad or similar offering access content - and especially rich media - in short bursts throughout the day, as do 56% of their smartphone counterparts.

·         72% watch TV and use their slate simultaneously; 20% spend more time in front of the television having bought a tablet.

·         51% of tablet owners say using it fills "dead time;" 49% share it with family members.

·         44% "would not want to be separated" from their tablet.

·         42% say tablets have "revolutionized" the way they communicate with friends and colleagues.

·         Tablet users shop more on their device than PC and smartphone users.

Read this in full.

Read the news release.

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you publish your content for tablets.

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iPad E-Reading Market Share Stagnates as Tablet E-Reading Rises

According to an analysis by Digital Book World (@DigiBookWorld) editorial director Jeremy Greenfield (@JDGsaid) of a new study from the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), some 25% of all people who read ebooks are now reading on tablets (as opposed to dedicated e-readers), up from under 20% at the end of 2011.

An industry insider says, as tablets put pressure on sales of dedicated e-readers, prices of the e-ink devices could drop until they hit zero.

Read this in full.