Most businesses today have some sort of presence on social media. But simply being on social media does not accomplish a whole lot. Businesses need to use the right channels to communicate with the right people in order to maximize an online presence.
To help you determine which channels you should focus on, we’ve analyzed five of the largest social media platforms and identified the demographics of their most active participants.
Here’s how to find your audience on social media channels:
Facebook
Some may not like to admit it, but Facebook’s getting old. Everything is so fast-paced with change occurring daily, if not hourly. And Facebook’s 10 years old.
We’re not saying Facebook isn’t relevant, because it is. But over the past year Facebook has
reportedly been losing teens by the millions. The platform is, however, acquiring millions more members in the women, ages 30-50 demographic.
This is great news for companies that market to mothers and female professionals. Companies that want to appeal to a different demographic should focus their marketing efforts on other social media channels.
Twitter
60 percent of users access Twitter through their phones. Of those users, the vast majority are young, busy city dwellers, ages 18-29.
This demographic is characteristically vocal and progressive, so businesses looking to create brand advocates among that demographic should focus on Twitter to gather followers and drive engagement.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn has been described as “the working man’s Facebook.” Most of its users are, indeed, men who are working professionals.
Facebook appeals to a larger female demographic and LinkedIn appeals more to men.
Of all the social media channels, LinkedIn is considered the most business friendly because its users are educated, working professionals who want to connect with like-minded people and companies.
If your business wants to reach this demographic, then LinkedIn’s your platform.
Pinterest
This is another channel where the primary demographic is women, but Pinterest attracts a younger audience of 18-29 year-olds.
This market is interested in customizing everything in their lives, from their hair to their homes.
Businesses that offer practical or designer solutions to female customers would be wise to utilize Pinterest.
Google+
It may be the youngest of its counterparts, but with more than 235 million users, Google+ has surpassed the membership of Twitter.
Its status as a new kid on the block primarily attracts a young, innovative crowd of men, ages 18-24.
Organizations of all types, from Nike to the U.S. Navy, have successfully marketed to this demographic on Google+, but their marketing efforts were all anchored in a visual media.
Google+ is designed to discover and share videos (after all, Google also owns YouTube), so the best way to reach this demographic is through publishing engaging video content on Google+.
