90% of 18–29 year olds and 71% of 30–64 year olds use social media. It’s an invaluable communication channel. Not all industries are compatible with this media, asphalt contractors is a good example, but many products and services that are “Facebook-friendly,” such as restaurants, salons, the arts, retail, and nonprofits can benefit tremendously.
Social media offers superior targeting. Age, sex, location, interests are known variables, making your marketing dollars far more efficient. With 2.6 billion users, and still growing—everybody is on Facebook. If you’re not on Facebook, your absence isn’t felt. Even with recent troubles, Facebook appears “too big to fail.” Will it fail? Maybe someday, but not tomorrow, not next week, not this winter, and not next summer, so you might as well work it into your marketing budget today.
Twitter has about 330 million users worldwide, attracting about a quarter of Americans. It remains a platform for fast paced, real-time broadcasting and sharing.
Pinterest is no longer only for the ladies. 50% of new signups are men, but it’s still a place where 80% of women under the age of 50 can be reached. Pinterest is the fourth most popular social media platform in America. It outranks Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Pinterest is a great place to do research, window shop, and find inspiration.
Over 100 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram every day! The demographic is younger, this where you can find 64% of 18–29 year olds. Instagram has passed the one billion active user mark worldwide. If you have photographic content to offer, get in there. I’m not sure how else to say it.
Senior decision makers are on LinkedIn. With over 575 million users worldwide, LinkedIn attracts about 28% of America to publish professional profiles, network, and share content. This is where more highly-educated urbanites with more sizable incomes can be reached, and great platform for B2B content marketing.
Snapchat is full of millennials. A mind-boggling 3 billion photos and videos are shared on Snapchat a day by about 300 million active users. 78% of them are under the age of 24. The advertising feature allows you to present your brand in short movie snippets. One billion movies are displayed daily, a fantastic way to connect with this audience.