WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS SHOULD YOU BE ON?
So you know your brand should be on social media but you’re unsure which social media channels it should be on.
The answer is surprisingly quite simple. Where is your target audience getting their information from? Which social media platforms are your consumers using? If you can figure that out, you’ve answered your own question.
Here are some stats to help you determine which channels your target audience may be on.
Easily the most popular social media platform with an average of 1.15 billion daily active users. That means that no matter who your target audience is, you’ll most likely catch them on Facebook.
Lately, Facebook is considered as the social media platform you’ll catch your mom on. But according to Pew Social Update 2016, young people are still using Facebook!
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
88% of 18 to 29 year olds use Facebook.
84% of 30 to 49 year olds use Facebook.
72% of 50 to 64 year olds use Facebook.
And lastly, 62% of 65+ aged people use Facebook.
Teens are still the higher percentage! This means they can still be targeted on Facebook. Depending on your target audience, you can use Facebook ads to target a specific demographic.
According to Pew Social Update 2016, most Facebook users are female. 83% of online adult women use Facebook vs 75% of online adult men.
There are a ton of mixed emotions about Twitter. Some people think Twitter is dead. Some think Twitter will live forever. Again, it really depends on your target audience.
With Twitter’s fast faced and instantaneous nature, it’s no doubt that this platform is used most by a younger demographic such as Millennials who prefer quick, to the point, communication.
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
36% of 18 to 29 year olds use Twitter.
23% of 30 to 49 year olds use Twitter.
21% of 50 to 64 year olds use Twitter.
10% of 65+ aged people use Twitter.
If you compare the percentage of Twitter users to the percentage of Facebook users it becomes obvious which platform is used more. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on Twitter, especially if you’re targeting a younger demographic. However, if you’re on a limited budget and have limited time for social media it may be wise to consider other options that come with higher engagement rates.
In regards to gender, the percentage of female vs male users is pretty much split right down the middle. 25% of online women use Twitter where 34% of online men use Twitter. Unlike Facebook, you won’t find a significant difference here.
Instagram literally cannot stay out of the news. Thanks to its big brother Facebook, Instagram has become revolutionary in the past year. By introducing Instagram Ads, Instagram Business Accounts and Instagram Stories, Instagram has grown its daily user count to 100 million users.
For the older demographic, Instagram seems odd. What do you mean I can only use it on my phone? Tends to be the most common confusion for the older demographic. Whereas the younger demographic aren’t even aware of the fact that instagram.com even exists.
Given that confusion, it’s no surprise that the younger demographic takes over Instagram. It’s instant, it’s on their smartphone and their moms aren’t on it. If you have a younger target audience, you need to be on Instagram, there’s no doubt about it.
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
59% of 18 to 29 year olds use Instagram.
33% of 30 to 49 year olds use Instagram.
18% of 50 to 64 year olds use Instagram.
8% of people aged 65+ use Instagram.
Similar to Facebook, Instagram users tend to be female. 38% of online women use Instagram and 28% of online men use Instagram. Your typical Instagram user is a female between the ages of 18 to 29. If this is your target audience and you’re not on Instagram, do you even exist?
LinkedIn is often known as the social media platform for professionals. Basically the only social media platform where you won’t find selfies (well you shouldn’t anyway). But seriously, it’s managed to stay a unique professional community for job seekers, job opportunities, headhunters and your professional online social media platform.
Given its more serious nature, the assumption is that old people use LinkedIn. However, the younger demographic often use LinkedIn as their online resume or portfolio which can be seen by either the public or can be set to private.
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
34% of 18 to 29 year olds use LinkedIn.
33% of 30 to 49 year olds use LinkedIn.
24% of 50 to 64 year olds use LinkedIn.
And 20% of people aged 65+ use LinkedIn.
The gender demographic for LinkedIn tends to be male more than female. 31% online males and 27% online females use LinkedIn.
Even if your target audience isn’t on LinkedIn, it’s still a good idea to have LinkedIn so you can legitimize your business and find prospective employees.
Often referred to the female social media platform for moms and brides, Pinterest lives up to its stereotype. Let’s take a look at Pew’s stats.
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
36% of 18 to 29 year olds use Pinterest.
34% of 30 to 49 year olds use Pinterest.
28% of 50 to 64 year olds use Pinterest.
And only 16% of people ages 65+ use Pinterest. 45% of online females use Pinterest and only 17% of online males use Pinterest.
So if you’re targeting females, ages 18 to 50, chances are they’re getting information from Pinterest and it would be wise to be present on this social media platform.
AUTO-DELETE APPS (SNAPCHAT)
Auto-delete apps tend to confuse older demographics and excite younger ones. What’s the point? You mean I can never see it again? Where did it go? Often the questions older demographics have about channels like Snapchat. Auto-delete apps do just that, automatically delete content. Depending on how you post, it could be deleted after 10 seconds or 24 hours if you post it to your story.
Source: The following data comes from the Pew Social Media Update 2016 report.
56% of 18 to 29 year olds use auto-delete apps.
13% of 30-49 year olds use auto-delete apps.
9% of 50+ year olds use auto-delete apps.
24% of online men use them and 23% of women use them. No significant difference.
Auto-delete apps are essential to your business if you’re target audience is between the ages of 18 to 19. This demographic doesn’t want to read emails or look at print ads. They want a funny Snapchat filter to make them feel relevant. They want to wear things they see people on their Snapchat or Instagram wearing or go places where their celebrities are posting about on Snapchat or Instagram story. They often broadcast everything they’re doing on some type of auto-delete app such as Instagram Stories or Snapchat and they have no problem with it being deleted after 24 hours. That being said, if you’re going to be on Snapchat you have to make sure you’re doing it right. It may be useful to hire a social media manager with tons of Snapchat experience and isn’t camera shy.
Overall, it’s completely up to you which social media channels you want to be on. Just remember, quality over quantity. If your brand can only dedicate a short amount of time to social media management, start with the easier, more manageable channels such as Facebook and Twitter which allow third-party posting. If you have more time or the ability to hire a social media manager, take your target audience into consideration. Figure out where they’re getting their information from and make sure you have a presence there.
Questions? Let us know!
D1ZI as a full digital marketing Kitchener establish social identities and build communities around your brand to bring your business above as compare to your competitors.
