Why you should have an understanding of social media demographics before investing
Firstly, It’s important to be tactical when choosing which social media will complement your blog. You don’t want to waste valuable time preaching to the wrong audience and then realizing your format of marketing doesn’t quite fit the platform you’re posting it on.
Many people out there don’t consider being strategic about where they post and tend to have the mindset of ‘post on all the platforms, and you’ll reach more people and generate more traffic’.
That’s not necessarily true, I mean, you might certainly get a lot of eyeballs on your post as they scroll past it but how many of those people are going to pause and read that content and how many are going to become converted readers? Not many. And this is because you’re not reaching your target audience, you’re just being broad and hoping to reach anyone and everyone.
Top tip before you start: Identify the purpose of each social media platform
Understanding the purpose of each social media platform is essential before going ahead and signing your business up. Not all social media is created equally. Sure it brings people together socially on one platform, but there are so many varying factors between them.
Each social media platform from Facebook to Pinterest holds different audience demographics (which we cover below), and it’s crucial to know where your audience lies before you waste time and money investing in the wrong platform.
Each social media platform advertises in different ways, offers different rates to pay, and reaches your audience differently. You need to be aware if your content is having the best impact on your audience as possible as you need to grab their attention quickly to stop them from scrolling past and not converting.
A good start to figuring out what social media platform might work best for you is to look at where your competitors are. Your competitors are in the same niche, have a similar audience demographic, and if they are already established, know what platform works best for them, and their content, so certainly take a look but don’t base your decisions on someone else’s.
The top 5 social media platforms
As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of social media platforms and what they can offer your business.
We’re breaking down the top five social media platforms, perfect for bloggers of all different niches, and giving you the demographic insights so you can make valid and informed decisions going forward.
Facebook boasts more than 2 billion active monthly users, so it offers a large population. It is also a good platform for keeping a close community with an already established dedicated audience, but because of its size, it may prove difficult to successfully target new readers. Facebook marketing options include video and live video, audio, and written content, along with imagery.
Facebook demographics (source: pew research center)
- 69% of U.S adults use or have used Facebook
- 75% of female adults use Facebook
- 63% of male adults use Facebook
- 76% of 18-24 year olds use Facebook
- 84% of 25-29 year olds use Facebook
- 79% of 30-49 year olds use Facebook
- 68% of 50-64 year olds use Facebook
- 69% of people who earn less than $30,000 use Facebook
- 72% of people who earn between $30,000 – $74,999 use Facebook
- 74% of people who earn over $75,000 use Facebook
If you are keen to learn more about Facebook and setting it up for business then look at our guide.
Twitter offers over 330 million active monthly users and focuses on immediate, real-time content. For that reason, you will most likely be required to post multiple tweets to reach more of your audience. Tweets tend to be limited to 140 characters, and you can post images and videos along with using hashtags to categorize keywords, topics, and brands.
Twitter demographics (source: pew research center)
- 22% of U.S adults use or have used Twitter
- 21% of female adults use Twitter
- 24% of male adults use Twitter
- 44% of 18-24 year olds use Twitter
- 31% of 25-29 year olds use Twitter
- 26% of 30-49 year olds use Twitter
- 17% of 50-64 year olds use Twitter
- 20% of people who earn less than $30,000 use Twitter
- 20% of people who earn between $30,000 – $74,999 use Twitter
- 31% of people who earn over $75,000 use Twitter
Pinterest offers the smallest amount of users with 1.35 million. However, it’s widely recognized that Pinterest users generally convert from browsing to buying more than any other social media platform.
Pinterest is a particularly interesting platform as it also serves as a very convenient search engine allowing businesses to gather key research for content topics. It also has a focus on visual imagery and vision boards, and users can purchase directly via Pinterest using ‘buyable pins.’
Pinterest demographics (source: pew research center)
- 28% of U.S adults use or have used Pinterest
- 42% of female adults use Pinterest
- 15% of male adults use Pinterest
- 38% of 18-24 year olds use Pinterest
- 28% of 25-29 year olds use Pinterest
- 35% of 30-49 year olds use Pinterest
- 27% of 50-64 year olds use Pinterest
- 18% of people who earn less than $30,000 use Pinterest
- 27% of people who earn between $30,000 – $74,999 use Pinterest
- 41% of people who earn over $75,000 use Pinterest
Pinterest is a key player when it comes to generating traffic for your blog or business and can really boost your blog success. We highly recommend learning as much as you can about Pinterest and the best place to start is with our helpful guides:
- What is Pinterest and How Does it Work – Newbie Guide for Success
- Designing Your Own Pinterest Pins: The Tips That Will Drive You Traffic
- Pin to Win with These Pinterest Strategies
- Good and Bad Practices on Pinterest and Tips to Avoid Suspension
- The Power of Pinterest Group Boards: The #3 Tip for Pinterest Success
- Promoting Pins on Pinterest: A Quick Way to Instant Traffic
Instagram offers 800 million active users, with at least 50% of them following a brand.
This is a perfect platform suited to visual content such as photography, videos, and high impact imagery. It also offers shoppable posts and shoppable stories meaning users can shop straight from the app.
Instagram demographics (source: pew research center)
- 37% of U.S adults use or have used Instagram
- 43% of female adults use Instagram
- 31% of male adults use Instagram
- 75% of 18-24 year olds use Instagram
- 57% of 25-29 year olds use Instagram
- 47% of 30-49 year olds use Instagram
- 23% of 50-64 year olds use Instagram
- 35% of people who earn less than $30,000 use Instagram
- 39% of people who earn between $30,000 – $74,999 use Instagram
- 42% of people who earn over $75,000 use Instagram
If you are keen to learn more about Instagram and setting it up for business then look at our guide.
Youtube
With over 1 billion + users, Youtube is the second largest social media platform on our list. Perfect for sharing video content, Youtube offers access to 76 different languages for an outstanding global reach. Because of Youtube’s extensive advertising options, it is reported that one in two marketers incorporate Youtube into their promotional strategy.
Youtube demographics (source: pew research center)
- 73% of U.S adults use or have used Youtube
- 68% of female adults use Youtube
- 78% of male adults use Youtube
- 90% of 18-24 year olds use Youtube
- 93% of 25-29 year olds use Youtube
- 87% of 30-49 year olds use Youtube
- 70% of 50-64 year olds use Youtube
- 68% of people who earn less than $30,000 use Youtube
- 75% of people who earn between $30,000 – $74,999 use Youtube
- 83% of people who earn over $75,000 use Youtube
If you are keen to learn more about Youtube and setting it up for business then look at our guide.
So what do these stats mean for you? Well, depending on your content, your target audience, and whether you’re aiming to sell from your website or blog, these breakdowns and stats can give you a push in the right direction with what social media platform may work for you.
Conclusion
One thing to always remember is to be tactical and strategic with your business and social media platform as your time and money are precious. You should 100% focus on quality over quantity, and that includes choosing the right quality social media platform to suit your audience and business. If you have a high impact on a relevant platform with high-quality content, then a willing audience will follow.