Nextdoor.com is unique among social networks. There are (almost) no memes or cat videos, very little political content (though some; see item #10 below), and no one showing off their recent exotic vacation photos.
Instead, it’s geographically based; the content you see (and the users you see it from) are based on what neighborhood you live in. Nextdoor covers 260,000 neighborhoods in the U.S. and another 80,000 in 10 other countries.
It’s not often included on lists of the largest social networks. But if it were, with 95 million users, the platform would rank as about the 30th-largest globally (bigger than Rumble, smaller than Medium) and roughly the 20th-largest in the U.S..
According to CivicScience, roughly a third of all Americans use the app, and two-thirds of those users log on at least weekly. In terms of generations, Nextdoor users don’t skew as young as many other social networks, but are more evenly represented across age groups. About 28% of Boomers use the platform, along with:
- 28% of Gen X
- 32% of Millennials
- 31% of Gen Z
But what do Nextdoor users post about most frequently? Based on a 10-month long study of more than 1,000 Nextdoor notification emails, here’s a list of their top 34 topics (your mileage may vary).
#34: Unsolicited financial advice
0.1% of posts
Here’s an example that generated a fair amount of conversation.
#33: (Tie)
0.2%
There’s a four-way tie at this spot between “looking for workers” (given topic #5 below, it’s sad there aren’t more of these posts); “child bullied at school” (thankfully few of these); and “single, looking for companionship” (on Nextdoor? Really?).
There are also posts that are just simply unclassifiable. I had a great example, but Nextdoor deleted the post (grrr…makes me want to submit a post of the topic #17 type).
#29: (Tie)
0.3%
There’s a three-way tie here for:
- Questions about sick or dead squirrels, or other squirrel-related topics;
- Birds flying into windows (hmm…any relationship between this and the squirrel posts?); and
- Xfinity versus CenturyLink (an epic rivalry to rival Yankees vs. Red Sox).
#26: Missing person / child.
0.4%
These are usually pretty straightforward and (thankfully) the individual is usually found fairly quickly. Nextdoor is a great place to ask for help in these circumstances.
#25: Upcoming event(s)
0.6%
This includes only posts from individuals, not the annoying “what’s happening in your area” general compilations. Here’s a great example—supporting local Scout troops.
#24: Items for sale /free
0.7%
Yes, this is one of the top categories on Nextdoor. But in terms of email notifications, these are surprisingly infrequent.
#23: Severe weather alert
0.8%
It’s nice that people care enough about their neighbors to post these, but between weather apps, radio, TV, emergency sirens…storm warnings are pretty well covered.
#22: What is this? Unusual objects
0.9%
Nextdoor users share photos of unusual antiques, things found when they remove their deck, and other oddities, seeking answers from the community.
#21: Xcel Energy rates / meters / line repair issues
1.0%
People share questions, complaints, and other updates about our local electric & gas utility.
#20: Asking for general life advice / guidance on dealing with unusual issues
1.3%
Here’s an example of a new homeowner seeking guidance from neighbors, and an enterprising local business owner capitalizing on the opportunity for promotion. In another example, a young Nextdoor user asked for “what should I do with my life?” type wisdom.
#19: (Tie)
1.4%
There’s a two-way tie at this spot for “glasses / other item(s) lost or found” and “complaints about how people drive.” Nextdoor is an ideal platform for letting neighbors know about an important item you’ve lost and would like to get back, or that you’ve found and would like to reunite with its owner. Not sure what exactly neighbors are supposed to do about bad drivers though.
#17: Complaints about post removal / suspension / ND practices (including too many ads, takes too long to show posts)
1.5%
There aren’t a huge number of these, relatively speaking, but one hopes the moderators at Nextdoor take note of (and if possible, action on) these posts. And as this post makes clear, the platform has issues with deleting posts (this should not happen) too frequently.
#16: Local development / construction issues
1.6%
These range from questions about how to handle road construction issues (particularly difficult for people who rely on ridesharing services and grocery delivery) to complaints about zoning and housing density matters.
#15: Coyote / fox / strange animal sightings
1.7%
What did we ever do with doorbell cams, trail cams, and Nextdoor to share all of the (usually nocturnal) appearances of strange critters?
#14: “I’m new to the area” / introductions
2.3%
These can sometimes seem a bit awkward. But then again, this is Minnesota.
#13: Suspicious person / kids / vehicle(s) / drones
3.2%
These are really interesting. Again, lots of doorbell cam footage in this category. Some of these are legit disturbing, others can be innocently explained (e.g., a delivery driver whose activity is “suspicious” only because he’s having difficulty finding the right address). Again, I had a great example of one of these posts, but Nextdoor deleted it. :-
#12: “Thanks” and feel-good stories
3.5%
These posts reaffirm your faith in human nature. Seniors share stories of unexpected help with yard work and other chores. Busy young moms express thanks for small kindnesses. Here’s a heartwarming example.
#11: Recommend a contractor / service provider?
3.7%
One of the best uses of Nextdoor.com—neighbors asking neighbors for advice on whom to hire for anything from landscaping to plumbing to home improvement projects. These are great opportunities for people to recommend providers they’ve had positive experiences with, and for enterprising small business owners to promote their services (also see #20 above).
#10: Local politics
4.9%
Nextdoor isn’t free of politics, but on this platform the political posts often have practical value; they’re not just X/Twitter-style vitriol. These posts are often complaints about something a local elected official or city council did, but can also be positive.
Our local mayor (name not blurred since he’s a public figure) uses the platform to share city council meeting notes, and his constituents appreciate this.
#9: What was that? Lots of police / loud noise / helicopters / etc.
5.3%
Some people joke about this being the primary use of Nextdoor.com, but actually it averages only about one out of every 20 posts. Also, in Minnesota at least, these are highly seasonal: these posts are rare during the winter months, but their numbers rise with the temperatures in the spring and summer.
#8: Scams / questionable people or activities / scam alerts
5.4%
It’s wonderful that people warn their neighbors about real-world and online fraud attempts. But it’s sad how common these posts are.
#7: Please help / need prayers / need a ride / place to live/ give money
5.8%
All of these posts tug at your heartstrings. Most are legit, though occasionally it’s someone trying to pull a scam. Regardless, it is awesome to see neighbors helping each other in their time of need. I had a beautiful, sad-yet-heartwarming example bookmarked to share here, but ONCE AGAIN the post has been deleted.
Nextdoor seems to have a real problem with that. I can find every tweet from everyone I follow on X/Twitter going back a decade-and-a-half, but Nextdoor loses posts in a matter of months. Maybe they need more disk space?
In any case, I was able to find and retrieve this example of a neighbor responding to one of those posts, which is absolutely wonderful.
#6: Complaints about bad/rude behavior: neighbors / people in parks / teenagers / people in stores / people on Nextdoor
6.1%
A very popular topic: people behaving badly, and neighbors capturing their infamy on Nextdoor. Here are a couple of typical yet priceless and classic examples.
#5: Looking for work / offering services
7.2%
It’s admirable that so take the initiative to offer help and make a few bucks. It’s unfortunate there are more of these than of post types #11 or #33.
Here are a couple of examples. On the left—great price, terrible post headline. On the right—heartbreaking.
#4: Dog or cat lost / found / passed away / in distress / need a home
7.3%
We love our furry friends! Almost one out of every 14 posts on Nextdoor is about a pet lost, found, or in need of a home, or a fond remembrance of a beloved four-legged companion gone on to their eternal reward.
Should you advertise on Nextdoor? If you’re a local small business, it’s definitely worth at least testing! National brands have other, better avenues; corporate ads are often viewed as an annoyance here.
But in any case, the most powerful marketing use of Nextdoor is to provide great customer experiences and encourage your clientele to post about them. “Earned” promotion on Nextdoor (see topic #1 below) is very powerful.
#3: Random / no context / unclear references to previous post / nonsense / off-target attempts at humor / time-wasters / random rants
7.4%
These are super annoying and it’s baffling why there are so many of these—unless there are just that many people with time to waste and a desire to waste the time of others.
In the first example below, the tidbit is anything but interesting. Surprised he didn’t go with the Cliff Clavin-esque “little known fact.” And…slide-rule?! The other examples are just bizarre. It’s not clear how a law firm can be “sized for men” or what it is, exactly, that looks like a salamander (no image attached). Ugh.
#2: Crime report (several on car break-ins, mail tampering, package theft, sometimes shots fired)
8.1%
It’s a good thing that neighbors warn each other about this kind of activity, but disturbing that there is so much of this to report.
The example at right is typical, though the video in this post isn’t of much use.
This shouldn’t be the second-most common post topic on Nextdoor. :-
#1: Great or terrible experience with a local business
14.8%
And finally, in the top spot—no other topic generates nearly as many posts (more than one out of every seven) on Nextdoor is neighbors sharing their experiences with local restaurants, service providers, and other businesses.
At right is a typical example. Notice the high level of engagement: 84 likes and 41 comments(!).
I had bookmarked a great example of neighbors disagreeing about one of these reviews. But again, the post has been deleted. That is entirely too common on Nextdoor: removing the entire thread just when a conversation gets interesting.
One closing note—this post goes the other direction. A contractor complains about a deadbeat customer.
That’s a wrap! The top 34 post topics on Nextdoor.com, from the mundane to the confusing to the pointless to the valuable insights and observations of those (literally) around us.
The post The Top 34 Topics Discussed on NextDoor appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity.