We published in a related blog that Facebook is losing some of its user base due to competition from other social media outlets and irrelevancy for many businesses. For a business that places all of its eggs in the Facebook basket, this could mean that they are missing out on opportunity elsewhere. As trends in what’s the ‘latest and greatest’ will generally ebb and flow in the way Facebook users are indicating, it pays to be aware of other social media outlets that may be attracting your existing or potential customers.
Let’s take a look at the other social media outlets you should consider getting involved in if Facebook has been your go-to for the past few years. Before you start to diversify, gather some information about your target demographic. This will help you decide where to aim your efforts. The below data was extracted from a recent Pew Research Demographic Social Media Study.
Twitter usage will not likely strike anyone as alarming or an up-and-comer as it is used by many businesses across the globe. Twitter is a good call if you are targeting the following demographics:
- Both men or women
- People of black, non-Hispanic ethnicity
- People aged 18-29
- People with some college education
- People with incomes in excess of $75,000
Pinterest attracts 15% of all internet users with its visually stimulating presentation. The most likely people to use Pinterest are white, young, well-educated, and female. Take a look at the following to see if it identifies with your target demographic:
- 25% of women who are online use Pinterest
- Most of which are white
- Age: an equal percentage of people 18-29 and 30-49 use Pinterest
- 20% of users have a college education or greater
Instagram is a fast evolving website that has attracted 13% of internet users. Women are more likely to use this site, as are African Americans and Hispanics. Other information on Instagram reveals:
- African Americans nearly double the usage over whites
- The education attainment between high school, some college, and college or beyond is about equal
- Instagram appeals most to users who make less than $30,000 a year
Tumblr
Blogging site Tumblr is the least-used on this list representing just 6% of internet users. Men and women use the site equally, most of whom are in the youngest demographic researched.
- Hispanic’s (8%) use Tumblr more than whites (6%) and blacks (5%)
- 13% of the users are 18-29, the largest age demographic
- Most Tubmlr users have an average household income of over $30,000
Overview
Facebook is still the biggest social network (67% of internet users) but represents an outlet that is slowly dwindling. If you see opportunity in any of the above mentioned social websites make sure that they identify with your demographic before dedicating resources into marketing them. As with Facebook, all these social media channels require constant engagement and the users expect to be fully entertained and interacted with on an ongoing basis.
Thanks for reading,
