June 24, 2014
The Generation Gap: Social Media By The Numbers
According to Media Bistro, the number of social media users continues to grow, which means plenty of opportunity to get your message out to users looking to share unique, valuable content with their network of friends, family, and professional associates. But the use of each platform varies depending on a variety of factors, including the age of the user. While adults are now the primary Facebook audience, teens and young adults are spending more time Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Depending on your brand’s target demographics, you’ll want to pay more attention to certain social media platforms than others to ensure that your marketing efforts are reaching potential customers.
Code-switching Kids
If you’re looking to market your product or service to a younger demographic, social media marketing may seem like an obvious fit. Preteens, teens, and young adults are using social media on a daily basis, but don’t let the apparent quantity of these interactions obscure the quality of this demographics’ attention. Teens, according to several researchers, use different social media platforms for different purposes. NPR reports on a recent book that revealed the importance of context for young users, making clear that kids will carefully cultivate public personas while simultaneously connecting to the things they care about most.
A piece on HuffPost concurs; today’s teens are reportedly better equipped to use the Internet to research potential friends, employers, and yes, brands. Facebook is where teenagers will reportedly put on their most public face; this is where you can expect them to “like” only peer and parent-friendly brands with trusted reputations. The news feed and timeline features allow their friends to see every action they take, and, rather than attempt to “hide” these actions from their parents, they find themselves spending less time on Facebook.
On sites like Twitter, however, teens appear to show less hesitation, as every one of their actions isn’t so obviously on display. There, they are cultivating more personalized identities and will be more willing to seek out and “follow” newer, up-and-coming brands. Cultivating a Twitter and Instagram presence is vital should teenagers be a part of your core demographic.
Capturing the Older Market
While Facebook started off with a college market, it quickly became a coveted space for teenagers post-Myspace. However, once these young adult users grew up, and Facebook opened its doors to all, it became a place to share wedding announcements, baby photos, and other adult milestones. In fact, a reported 72% of all adults are using at least one platform, and Facebook is the most heavily populated. In other words, if your target audience is 25+, Facebook is likely your go-to social media marketing tool.
However, though Facebook still dominates the majority of online interaction for adults, there are other sites that will continue to gain popularity. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, only 1% of all teens online use Pinterest, while 15% of all adults do. Pinterest has amassed young adult and adult users (33% of which are women) in the 18-49 age bracket, making it the right place for a product with an adult market.
And if your target demographics fall into the older age range, fear not. The data shows that while the majority of adult users fall into the 30-49 year old range (78%), 43% of all adults over 65 are using at least one form of social media. You can reach your audience with powerful social media marketing campaigns, but it’s worth paying attention to the numbers in order to make sure your message doesn’t fall through the generation gap.
