Online Social Networks Are Changing Our Offline Lives. How? (Graphic: Business Wire)

ACTIVE Network (NYSE:ACTV), the leader in cloud-based Activity and Participant Management™ (APM), today released new insights into the relationship between online social interactions and offline activities. The ‘Beyond the Click’ survey of 500 consumers commissioned by ACTIVE found that, on four out of five top social platforms ¹, over 50% of users have taken offline action directly as a result of an online interaction. The findings suggest that, by connecting online behaviors to offline activity, organizations can grow their customer base, increase revenue and drive greater participation.

According to the ‘Beyond the Click’ survey, the three most popular offline actions taken as a result of online engagement are to contact a person directly, attend an event and participate in an activity such as a sport or a class. The survey also revealed the impact of mobile apps on offline action, finding that 44% of smartphone users report using a mobile app to help them achieve a personal goal, such as improving their health, fitness, knowledge, education or appearance. These findings have implications for event and activity organizers, who should look to online interaction and mobile apps to both find new revenue streams and foster greater engagement among their current customer base.

“Online engagement is playing an increasingly important role in all facets of our lives, and ACTIVE is interested in understanding the factors that convert online interaction into offline action,” said Kristin Carroll vice president of corporate and consumer marketing at ACTIVE Network. “Our research in this area helps us evolve our offerings to develop ways our business customers can drive attendance, participation and revenue.”

The survey showed that, among the 5 top social platforms it reviewed, Facebook drives the most offline actions. According to survey respondents, Facebook leads to the most direct contacts or in-person meetings, and also prompts the most donations to a cause. While Twitter drives the second fewest offline actions, the engagement it does inspire is active in nature—25% of Twitter users have participated in an activity and 30% have attended an event as a result of online interactions according to the survey. Facebook users surveyed were also found highly likely to participate in an activity or attend an event as a result of their online actions, with 44% of respondents indicating they’ve attended a class, sport, or other form of activity and 58% noting they’ve been promoted to go to an event.

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