The Social Pagan: What makes Pagans Socially Different?

Pagans, as a demographic, react differently than the average Internet User, and the differences are most apparent in the Social Media market.

Pagans represent a small and diversified community, which agrees that it is largely personal label that is used to self-identify as a religiously or intellectually independent thinker. Anything else in defining this community as a single force fails, and if anything, they are unified in their claims of being diverse and even contrarian in thought. So this market often is not recorded or even responded too. You never know where this community exists and any measurement of them, is at best, widely speculative. Yet it is a exciting audience with lots of hidden influencers, which does supply the overall mainstream audiences with a fascination that generates a audience, well beyond their number of people who identifying as Pagans.

The single most apparent difference is that Pagans reject Google Adsense and other types of visual advertising including all types of banners. Not just a little, but by a factor of 800%-100% less likely than the Average User (note 1). In practical terms, a Pagan based website can expect on a .01-.03% click through rate on ads. This means that sites that generally serve pagans will receive between $50 -$150 per million views, compared to the average website can expect to earn $400-$950. per million views from Adsense and similar ad providers. Neither makes a great deal, but the Pagan content provider is unable to support their website on advertising alone. In order to remain viable, Pagan content sites must be subsidized by some other means, most likely using one of the free services, to support their sites.

This rejection comes from three sources in the Pagan community. First, as the community formed up in the 60’s as a movement, the early members believed in collectivism and consensus as useful economic and self-governing systems. The ultimate goal was to form a commune or intentional community, independent and off the grid. While few were successful, it was and continues to be part of the goals of many Pagans.

Second, Many Pagans believe that commercial products and advertising is not to be trusted because these companies are dangerous to the environment, to people, or of any number of acts or crimes against humanity. That there is something inherently grow with companies, and that they are to be used last, whenever possible. This is something that is more often spoken then practiced, but it has a definite dampening effect on any form of business within the community.

Third reason is that Pagans as individuals want to make up their own minds about everything in their lives. They believe at their core that they are responsible for what happens in their lives at a profound and magical level. Therefore, they are not moved by what they see as broad mass advertising, and consider it pointed only at the most gullible and superficial of people. It is never meaningful to them.

These three core concepts make Google Adsense, traditional banner advertising, and other simple ad services are of extremely low value to any Pagan website or Internet network. Simply put, you need to find another way to tap into the Pagan market. Unfortunately, it raises a barrier to easy entry of Pagan Based Websites and content. By not being responsive to off the shelf solutions, sites cannot use passive advertising to support a paid staff. This in turn means smaller and less innovative websites available to the consumer of Pagan content.

It is this wonderful independence that makes the Pagan users somewhat radically different than the Average User of Internet services. To be a Social pagan you have to find a better way.

Until Next Time, Blessed Be!

Note 1: In dealing with any market, there is a mythical creature known as the Average User. The AU is the meridian point of all kinds of statistics, scores, and rankings, mathematically centered to reveal the mainstream thought. The AU is being used to make comparisons to the Pagan market.