All the different social media platforms, combined with limited time and budgets, make it a challenge to determine which channels are right for your business and which channels your target audience is present on.
The Flint Group helps businesses and organizations of all sizes determine which social channels they should be using and how they can optimize messaging to maximize impact.
Each social channel has a different demographic and intended use. For the best return on investment, you’ll want to ensure that the channel’s usage matches your content and your audience.
Breaking down the social media channels
These demographic facts can help you select channels to use:
According to this Pew Research Center report , as of November 2016:
- 79 percent of Americans use Facebook
- 24 percent use Twitter
- 32 percent use Instagram
- 31 percent use Pinterest
- 29 percent use LinkedIn
Here’s more insight on each channel’s users:
Facebook:
- Woman are slightly more likely to use Facebook than men.
- Percent of adults who are online & use Facebook:
- Ages of Facebook users:
- 18-29: 88 percent
- 30-49: 84 percent
- 50-64: 72 percent
- 65+: 62 percent
Key takeaway: Facebook is ubiquitous. If you want to reach your target audience, they are most likely on Facebook.
Twitter:
- Younger Americans are more likely to use Twitter than older Americans – only 10 percent of Internet users ages 65+ use Twitter.
- There is no gender discrepancy in Twitter use.
- Twitter tends to be more popular with highly educated individuals.
Key takeaway: Twitter can be a crowded place with so many things vying for its users attention. Adding images to your posts can help grab attention and cut through the clutter.
LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn is most popular with college graduates and high income earners.
- They are most likely to live in urban areas.
- Men are slightly more likely to be LinkedIn users than women; 31 percent of male Internet users and 27 percent of female Internet users have adopted the platform.
Key takeaway: LinkedIn is great for companies working in B2B industries. Joining and engaging in groups is a perfect way of finding your target audiences.
Instagram:
- 1/3 of U.S. Internet users have adopted Instagram.
- Most are between the ages of 18-29.
- Women are more likely than men to have adopted the platform (38 percent of female Internet users vs. 26 percent of male Internet users).
Key takeaway: Instagram is a key platform for younger audiences and it is consistently adding new functionality for marketers.
Pinterest:
- Women use Pinterest at much higher rates than men. Nearly half of online women use the platform (45 percent), more than double the share of male Internet users (17 percent).
- Suburban Internet users (34 percent) are slightly more likely than urban (30 percent) or rural users (25 percent) to have adopted the channel.
Key takeaway: If your target audience is women, Pinterest should be a part of your channel strategy. Like Instagram, Pinterest is also expanding its functionality for better marketing opportunities.
Snapchat:
- 71% of Snapchat users are are under 34 years old.
- 23% have not graduated high school and only 2% of users are over 55.
- Older demographics are growing fast – with more than half of new users over the age of 25.
Key takeaway: While Snapchat has typically skewed the youngest of all the major platforms, it likely won’t remain that way for much longer.
Each social media outlet has it’s own nuances and users can vary significantly from platform to platform. For companies to make the most of their activities, they should ensure that content plays to the platform’s strengths and demographic. Square pegs don’t fit into round holes, so remember that you don’t have to be present on every social media channel if it’s not a good fit for your business.
What’s next?
Need help fine-tuning your audiences?
Contact us on your preferred social media channel!
Snapchat: @flintgroup