The statistics are in and they say that social media marketing does have a place. However, these statistics have to do more with Facebook than any of the other social media giants because of the demographics of Facebook’s audience.
So for now, the focus is going to be on Facebook’s statistics and how the age demographic has created an environment for successful social media marketing.
10 Years of Growth
Facebook is now 10 years old, which is rather ancient for a social media website. Actually, that is vintage compared to most digital services. Especially since technological change happens at a blistering pace.
Nonetheless, a research study conducted by Pew underlined a core point: Facebook has managed to retain dominance despite its age in the social space. Research has found that 57% of all adults are now using Facebook. It is also being used by 73% of teenagers aged 12 to 17.
While businesses are not marketing to those 12-17, they are marketing to the adults and the number of adults using Facebook is much higher compared to some of the other social networks in regards to its total population. For instance, G+ is a very valuable social marketing tool and one that no business should ignore. However, it is mostly used by adults. Overall, the population of adults may not be as high as Facebook’s, considering Facebook has a much higher population of users.
Adult Facebook Usage is Intensifying!
Pew also found that the usage of Facebook among adults is intensifying. Of the 57% of adults that use Facebook, 64% of them come back every single day. This is up from 51% just four years ago. It has literally become a campground for older users and these are the individuals who respond to advertising. They are the ones that are going to see an ad or like a page and spend money with that company.
Pew also looked at the average size of friendship networks and found that half of adults had upward of 200 friends. The average number of friends clocked in at 338 and 15% had more than 500 friends.
Those with massive friend networks are able to spread the word about a brand much further. When a friend likes something, another may be curious. Sharing, liking, and commenting are all ways to spread the word, even if the user doesn’t mean to. However, a business must have a solid social media marketing plan in place to ensure the most shares, likes, and comments possible.
Compared to Other Social Networks
In regards to other social networks, it is important to become known on the major social networks. Twitter does have a younger audience, but adults still use Twitter. LinkedIn is a network for professionals, so it is obvious it is going to consist of adults. G+ is used primarily by adults because of how it benefits a business. Those wishing for more social interaction, such as teenagers do typically turn to Facebook or Twitter to do that. At the same time, all of these networks play different roles in the exposure of a business to different members of their target audience.
