Social Networking Sites — A look at Demographics
Social Networking Sites — A look at Demographics
“If you run a business, you need to have a presence on social media platforms.” This is something you probably keep hearing almost every day however, this isn’t entirely true. Yes, that’s right. You read it right.
The truth is that social networking sites have their own groove (if you will) and your target audience may prefer just one or two. The trick lies in knowing which ones to actively pursue. Anything else, unless you have all the time in the world is simply unproductive.
As you know, social media marketing takes a lot of time and money. So, even though you want to have a strong presence online, it doesn’t make sense to actively promote your Facebook business page, for example, if less than 1% of your target audience is there. Why would you want to do that? Having a business presence on the platform is still a good idea but anything more would likely be a waste of time and resources.
So, which social networking sites are right for your business?
Let’s take a quick look at the demographics of 5 different platforms to find your audience:
#1: Facebook :
If your target audience is between 25–54 years old [ source ], this might be a great platform for your business. 53% female and 47% male with in excess of 2 billion monthly active users — wow! This doesn’t mean you can’t have a Facebook business page if your target audience doesn’t fit in. However, employing more time and resources than to simply create the page and keep it somewhat updated is something you may want to reconsider.
However, if your target audience is older, you may still find some interest. After all, almost 50% of these users tend to check Facebook several times a day. [ source ] In all likelihood, your target market is on facebook to some degree but it will be your analytics that will provide true insights. Once you have these in tow, you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
#2: Instagram :
With almost 60% of Instagram users checking the app every single day (it’s an addiction!) and more than 500 million users [ source ], it’s tough to close the door to Instagram. However, you may need to do it, especially after the algorithm change that recently occurred (we’re not fans). At this moment, Instagram has a somewhat dubious algorithm that has taken the control out of your hands. The truth is that users just can’t see the content in a chronological order making it now very difficult to know how many people actually saw your posts.
That being said, Instagram still has some importance for business social media especially as a brand building tool. If your business resonates with beautiful imagery and videos, Instagram should still be a strong part of your social media marketing strategy.
#3: SnapChat :
Having never bought into this one, when your target audience is younger than 25 years old, SnapChat is arguably one of your best business social networks. The truth is that about 60% of their users in the United States fall in this category [ source ], and they have more than 100 million users consuming expiring content, at least, 30 minutes a day. [ source ]
So, if your target audience includes tweens, teens and early twenties crowds, any content related with interviews with prominent figures, behind the scenes footage, or new collections, you can have a pretty secured bet here.
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#4: Pinterest :
In case your targeted audience is predominantly female, Pinterest is a great business social media platform. Just to give you an idea, more than 45% of Pinterest’s 150 million monthly active users are female [ source ]. 34% of them are between 18–29 years old and 28% 30–49 years old — the median age being 40. Men, in case you’re now wondering, account for only 7% of total pins on the entire network. Millennials use Pinterest just as much as they do Instagram — interesting right?
Driving e-commerce and online sales. With more than 75 billion ideas on Pinterest, 72% use the network to decide what to buy and more than 87% admit to having bought products directly as a result of seeing them there first. If you’re selling products that fit this demographic, it’s a must add!
#5 Twitter :
Boasting 100 million daily active users (DAU) with 80% on mobile devices, Twitter may be just what you’re looking for. 37% of users are 18–29 and 25% are 30–49 the demographic splits into 24% male vs 21% female. Users seem to like and respond to the networks truncated 140 character tweet limit of short, succinct and timely messages. This can be ideal for event promotion, social customer service (checkout WestJet) or keeping up with breaking news. There is more to twitter than meets the eye and let’s face it, who can’t find time in their day to send a 140 character message, really?
Social Networking Sites — In Conclusion
Granted, we’ve only explored 5 social networking sites in this article and we did so to try and break the economics lesson ( Bueller…BUELLER!!! ) down into smaller bite-sized chunks. Keep an eye on the blog and we’ll likely look into more during the fall.
Every business is different, with differing niches, products, services and clientele. As you can see, depending on your niche as well as on your target audience, you may have a stronger interest in one platform over another. That’s perfectly okay, we’re not going to tell — #whathappensontheblogstaysontheblog! You certainly don’t need to be pushing every single one that comes along. Who has time for that?
- Define your goals — what specifically do you want to see or achieve from social channels?
— Look at each platforms demographics to confirm your target market is present and active.
— Create unique and specific content for that platform (no one-size fits all).
— Measure your results as they come in and make any changes on-the-fly as warranted.
If you need some help deciding on your best path during the fall, we’d love to hear from you! Contact Us
Thank for reading!
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