With technology playing a more significant role in how we communicate, businesses have signed online in order to grow their organizations and spread their message. Instead of flooding households with direct mailings and hard-copy petitions, businesses can now support a cause, raise money, and post their thoughts in 140 characters or less, all with a click of a mouse.
Social media has proven to be a necessary way for all organizations to keep up with the switch to online news research and gathering. A recent study done by Micro Business Perspectives of Vista Print showed that almost one-half of small businesses have successfully connected with new customers through social networks, that 70% of consumers trust consumer opinions posted online, and that social media adoption by small business doubled from 2009 to 2010.
They also stated that 61 percent of small business owners now use social media to help identify and attract new customers, 75 percent have a company page on a social networking site, and 45 percent expect their social media activities to be profitable within the next 12 months. You can see their study here: https://microbusiness.vistaprint.com/2011/05/small-business-social-media-statistics/
My organization, Students for Life of America, is no stranger to how utilizing social media can help connect, educate and mobilize our supporters. We use our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, iTunes and Skype accounts to connect with subscribers, help grow student groups across the country, train pro-life leaders, keep our followers up-to-date on the latest headlines, and mobilize student groups to become more active on their college campuses.
We also have a number of websites that call attention to specific topics. We established www.ellacausesabortions.com to educate our supporters on the after-sex pill that has been proven to terminate pregnancies. We also established www.iopposekagan.com to combat President Obama’s nomination of pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. We hope our newest initiative, AbolishAbortion.com, will serve as a hub for pro-lifers from all organizations and communities to connect, mobilize, and share their experiences.
Today, over 60% of young people get their news online. It’s not news to anyone that our younger generation is glued to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. I have personally seen the hearts and minds of students changed when they search for the words “unborn baby” and find a picture of a proud parent’s 3D ultrasound, or when a scared girl is able to locate a pro-life pregnancy help center when searching the word “abortion”.
It’s clear that with the expansion of online resources, social media sites have and will continue to play an integral role in the outreach and education of our message. Pro-lifers who utilize online resources are able to give a voice for the voiceless and give back the power to the majority of Americans who want to witness the end of abortion in our lifetime.
