Each social media service has a slightly different following, and sometimes the demographics using one medium are completely different than your target audience. So how do you know which media to use so you’re not wasting your time? Read this blog!
First, you have to identify your own target market. Are they mostly male, female, or both? Does ethnicity, age, or income bracket come into play? Figure out exactly who you are trying to reach, and then match that audience to the people using social media as closely as you can.
The typical audience member on Facebook is female, age 18-29, located in a suburban area. She makes less than $30K per year but did graduate college. Does this sound like your demographic? Not to worry if it doesn’t – Facebook is so ubiquitous that 66% of males still use it, 73% of those ages 30-49, and 72% of those who make over $75K per year. Facebook book is a pretty safe medium to use no matter who you’re targeting because so many people use it.
One important thing to remember is that only 14% of Facebook use – the largest group – is done by Americans. So if your company can service other countries, Facebook is an excellent platform to target those countries.
The typical Twitter user is male, 18-29 years old, living in an urban area and making over $50K per year with a college degree. Far fewer people use Twitter than Facebook (on 24% of men and 21% of women), but Twitter still holds an essential audience if your organization is trying to target this group.
What this means for you: a young, male audience will be the main recipient of your Tweets. In addition, the extra education of Facebook users creates a more professional, news-sharing atmosphere.
The current LinkedIn user base is mostly male, 30-49 years of age, living in an urban setting, and making over $75K per year. The most important thing to note about LinkedIn users are that they are much more likely to have graduated college than Facebook or Twitter users. This makes sense because of the business functions of LinkedIn, so keep that in mind when building a profile or posting news. If your organization is targeting middle-aged, male business professionals, LinkedIn is the medium for you.
All this information and more can be found through Sprout Social insights. It is important to find information like this in order to make informed decisions about your social media. Throwing posts and content at the computer and hoping something sticks is a common social media technique, but will not result in the effective communication you desire.
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