Your small business has plenty of options to find your social media target audience.
Does your small business have a Facebook page? A Twitter page? LinkedIn? Instagram? A Snap account? A Google+ account? A Pinterest page? YouTube channel?
Phew. I need to catch my breath!
Countless social media channels exist today, and new options continue to enter the market each year. Social media provides your small business a cost-effective way to connect with your target audience — the very people who inspired you to start your business and inspire you to keep at it day after day.
But are you actually connecting with your social media target audience? Are you on the same social media channels? Do they even want you there?
Many are surprised to learn that not every audience uses every social media channel, and that even goes for Facebook. Don’t waste your time and effort to connect with an audience that’s talking somewhere else! Check out the demographics per social media channel below, and find that sweet spot to make true connections with the people who matter to your business.
Facebook Demographics
Isn’t everyone on Facebook? You wonder. Actually, about 53% of Americans use this social media platform. That means there are 47% of Americans who aren’t following your posts or seeing the same cat videos you’re seeing.
Who are these 53% of Americans?
Their ages fall across the spectrum of social media users:
- 82% are 18 to 29 (though they are less engaged than the others)
- 79% are 30 to 49
- 56% are 65 and older
Both men and women use Facebook, but you’ll have a few more likes if your target audience comprises women:
- 76% are women
- 66% are men
And Facebook is for the educated middle to upper-class user:
- 72% earn more than $75,000
- 74% have some form of higher education
Twitter Demographics
So not everyone is on Facebook, but they’re on Twitter then, right? About 67 million Americans tweet regularly. And 66% of Twitter users have said that they discovered a new small business through Twitter — that’s big news for your small business if your target market aligns with the demographics.
Their ages skew younger:
- A whopping 42% are 15 to 17
- 32% are 18 to 29
- 13% are 50 to 64
- A teeny tiny 6% are 65 and older (What’s that Tweeter thing again?)
They live in different parts of America:
- 30% are urbanites
- 21% are suburbanites
- 15% are rural
A few more adult men use Twitter than adult women, and more dads, too:
- 25% men and 27% of online dads
- 21% women and 19% of online moms (but moms are more likely to engage with brands on Twitter than dads)
Their earnings are all over the board:
- 21% earn less than $30K
- 19% earn $30K to $49K
- 25% earn $50K to $74.9K
- 26% earn more than $75K
LinkedIn Demographics
Maybe your target audience doesn’t use Twitter or Facebook. And even if they do use Twitter or Facebook, maybe they wouldn’t connect with your brand on those platforms. If you fall more into a B2B relationship with your audience, or would like to maintain a more professional relationship, you would better use your time searching out your target audience on LinkedIn.
You’ll speak more to adults and professionals:
- 21% are 18 to 24
- 31% are 25 to 34
- 36% are 35 to 54
- 12% are 55 and older
More men are on LinkedIn than women:
- 56% are men
- 44% are women
And LinkedIn is for the high earner (and maybe the high spender?):
- 44% earn more than $75K
- 75% earn more than $50K
What about that social media platform with all the photos and videos? Should my small business use that one? You wonder.
It’s popular with a younger crowd:
- 55% are 18 to 29
- 28% are 30 to 49
- 11% are 50 to 64
- 4% are 65 and older
More women — and women who like, comment, share and post about products — use Instagram:
- 31% of women interact regularly
- 24% of men use it often
Need help starting or planning your social media strategy? Need help locking down your social media target audience? Give us a call!
*Data courtesy of Pew Research and Hootsuite
