With a shift toward mobile devices and an increase in professional social media users, online demographic data is different than you may expect. Here is how to match your audience to the right platform.
Online marketing strategies geared toward older audiences
Facebook still reigns as the global social network champion, but its demographic is shifting as younger users leave and older users fill the void. The teenage user population has declined while the 55-and-up crowd's presence has grown sharply. Women are somewhat more likely to use Facebook than men, but overall these details are overshadowed by the sheer reach: the vast majority of social media users are on Facebook. A perk of integrating Facebook into your strategy is the opportunity for user interaction via comments with no character restriction.
Use Facebook if your strategy targets a broad to global audience, is interactive, or skews toward older women.
Over half of college-educated internet users are on LinkedIn, and the majority of members are male. The dominant industry is information technology and services. Unlike Facebook, only a small share of LinkedIn users are the youngest cohort. With a huge volume of long-form posts published each week, this is a text-heavy, professional site.
Use LinkedIn if your business targets educated professionals around the globe, involves compelling and lengthy posts, or is tech-related or targets tech companies.
Pinterest is predominantly occupied by women, and nearly half of all women online have accounts, compared to a much smaller share of online men. Half of Pinterest's users have children, and a large share have high household incomes.
Choose Pinterest if your strategy targets wealthy mothers, is clothing- or food-based, or is highly visual.
Online marketing strategies for younger audiences
For younger audiences, faster is better, so incorporating agile marketing into your social strategy works well on the following platforms.
Instagram is largely responsible for the online demographic shift. Over half of internet users between 18 and 29 use Instagram, and nearly half of them use it daily. Dominated by striking photos of exotic locales and visually appealing food, it skews young and higher-income.
Start choosing a flattering filter if your business can easily incorporate appealing visuals, targets users younger than 35, or targets higher-income users.
While Twitter has significantly fewer users than Facebook, a large share of its users are daily posters. The biggest cohort is between 18 and 24, and the majority skew male. Like a niche network, it has the upper hand when it comes to intimate, interest-based communities and discussions.
Post away if your plan is bursting with timely updates, targets younger men, or targets a niche audience.
Carefully planning when, where and to whom you are posting is vital for an effective social media campaign. The roar of an irrelevant audience can drown out even impeccable SEO.