Know Your Audience: An Overview of Social Media Demographics
In a world where the majority of people are digitally connected, social media marketing opens your brand to exposure from a variety of audiences, with a few simple clicks.
Recent studies have shown that over 80% of every generation make social media a part of their daily routine, using social media at least once per day. But as with all media, the different generations interact with social media in different ways and have their platforms of preference. This means that certain platforms can be used to target specific audiences or may work better for specific products.
Knowing the audience you’re reaching on each social media platform will help you choose your social media messaging and tailor it to the people seeing it. Here’s a quick overview of the demographics on the more popular platforms, as of January 2023.
Target audience: Millennials and Gen Z
Over 1 billion users log into Instagram every month and the platform continues to experience steady growth in its user base, with over half of its users being under the age of 35. Advertising on Instagram has a far reach: stories have a potential ad audience of 996 million, while the main feed has a potential ad audience of 1.32 billion. There’s great potential in reels- Insta’s response to TikTok- for reaching new audiences, too; they have a potential ad audience of 758.5 million, and people share reels through DMs 1 billion times per day.
TikTok
Target audience: Millennials and Gen Z
The teenagers and young adults- 47% of TikTok users are under 30- who make up the TikTok user base spend an average of 90 minutes per day scrolling the video-based platform. Thanks in large part to the pandemic, TikTok also draws a large segment of the Millennial population – about 340 million. The TikTok FYP (For You Page) creates a great opportunity to reach new audiences with story-based ads; the platform has a potential ad audience of 884.9 million, and the algorithm pushes your content to users it thinks your content aligns with, even if they don’t follow you. Because of this, TikTok has become a powerful selling tool for businesses targeting younger audiences: nearly 40% of Gen Z admit that they’re likely to be influenced into purchases after seeing products featured in TikTok videos, as evidenced by the popular “TikTok made me buy it” video trend.
Target audience: Gen X and Millennials
Even as younger users move to more video-based social media platforms, Facebook remains the most popular overall with 1.93 billion active users daily. Over 70% of all adults in the US use Facebook, a usage volume that, according to research from Pew, no other social media platform comes close to reaching. Nearly 57% of Facebook’s ad audience is men, with men between the ages of 25 and 34 making up the largest ad audience on the platform. Facebook also gives advertisers the option to choose which demographics they target with their ads, meaning you have potential to reach a broad or niche audience, depending on your goals.
Target audience: Millennials and Gen Z
There’s been a lot of debate surrounding the viability of Twitter over the last several months, but the truth is that it remains one of the most used social media platforms- with 436 million monthly users- and highly influential in how information spreads; there’s a reason screenshots can be found used as content on every other platform. Surprisingly, Twitter remains popular with the younger generations; a 2021 survey showed that 70% of Gen Z use Twitter to learn about new products. Another added benefit is Twitter’s Google-friendliness with indexed (searchable) tweets and YouTube compatibility.
Target audience: Gen X and Baby Boomers
Although a career-oriented platform, LinkedIn presents a way to reach a wide range of educated adults with disposable income. Although adults ages 35 through 55 have the largest representation on the platform, every generation from Gen Z to Baby Boomers has a fairly decent representation within its user base. The LinkedIn user base is highly educated; over 89% of US adults with a college degree are on the platform. Over 50% of adults in the US who make over $75,000 annually are LinkedIn users. This platform is often overlooked and undervalued in the business to business sector when it comes to small businesses.
Let’s figure out what social media platforms are right for you
Figuring out your social media strategy can be a little overwhelming, but bringing a marketing consultant onboard can help streamline efforts and maximize opportunities for brand exposure and engagement. We’re always here to talk strategy, whether you’re looking for a one-time consultation or a longtime partnership. Contact us, and let’s figure out what’s best for your brand.
