If you are an analytics nerd like me, you will love these social media statistics. I’ve been keeping an eye on the newest social media usage data from around the web. While everyone is busy talking about “engagement” and posting to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, let’s not forget that we need an audience to be successful. What do the audiences look like for each social network?
Whether you are developing your social media for business or researching new trends because you love data, you are about to uncover some interesting findings.
In case you are on the fence about tapping into social media for business, here are some numbers you should be aware of:
source: Search Engine Journal
And use this in case you’re stuck with your messaging:
Source: Wrong Hands
Now comes the fun stuff (and sorry it took so long). The first social channel I decided to collect social media data from around the web is LinkedIn.
1. 79% of LinkedIn Users are 35 and Older
Tweet this stat: 79% of LinkedIn Users are 35 and Older http://ctt.ec/tqN_c+
The typical demographic for LinkedIn users is an older, well-educated and established audience. Because of its small demographic, LinkedIn has about 280 million users of which 80% spend less than eight hours a week on the site, according to The Undercover Recruiter. A whopping 76.9% of users claimed LinkedIn helped them research people and companies. LinkedIn has many features that most forget about and here are the top 5:
- Groups
- People Searching
- People You May Know
- Who’s Viewed You
- Company Information
source: Power Formula
Some quick tips for using LinkedIn:
- Carbon copy when posting if relevant
- Craft sample email for those who accept invitations
- Invite everybody from address book
Don’t be afraid to explore and try new things. If you decide to use LinkedIn for personal and business use, try posting to the brand page and sharing the content from your personal account.
2. Only 31% of Facebook Users Prefer to Get Updates from Brands on Facebook vs Other Channels Tweet this stat!
Facebook is the number one network for people to personally connect and share content. If you are a brand on Facebook, this is a great avenue to promote your product and update your followers on exciting news. Facebook currently has 1 billion users worldwide in which 2.5 billion pieces of content are shared each day. Although most consumers would rather hear from their brands via email, 31% say Facebook is their preferred method. Facebook, like LinkedIn, has many different features that allow you to promote your marketing material. Here are a few:
- Creating a Facebook ad (and there are analytics included!)
- Hosting a Facebook contest
- Promoted Facebook posts
One of the biggest reasons to try the above mentioned is because organic reach is dying. Two years ago, Facebook posts reached 16% of a brand’s fans organically. Today, organic reach is down to 2%.
3. 49% of Users Prefer to Interact with Brands via Twitter
Twitter (you know that micro blogging social site that limits you to 140 characters) has the largest penetration (percentage of internet users tweeting once per month) in the United States. With an active user list topping 560 million, it’s no surprise that over 5,700 tweets happen every second. Twitter’s 49% of users interacting with brands is higher than Facebook’s 31%.
With Twitter, you are limited to 140 characters so you want your content to be interesting and eye-grabbing. One way you can achieve call-to-action by technically using more than 140 characters is by using a Twitter Card. A Twitter Card is a snippet for tweets that are ideal for engagement and overall appeal. Shopify offers a few creative ways on how to use Twitter Cards:
- Promote Contests
- Introduce New Products
- Share resources
- Piggyback on current events
- Share videos
- Generate leads
Similar to Facebook, Twitter also has its own set of analytics to measure success. However, Twitter “forces” you to set up an ads account before you can read the data. To read your analytics go to ads.twitter.com
4. 35% of the 1.15 Billion Users are Active on Google+
Google+ allows you to build circles (connections, friends, etc). There is big opportunity here as not many brands are active on Google+, but the ones who tend to be a good fit have a great following. From data pulled in February of this year, Google+ has reached the billion mark with users at 1.15 billion. Of the active users, 70% of the Top 100 brands are on Google+ and 42% of users interact with brands’ content. If you’re looking for some insight on what some of the best businesses in the world are doing on Google+, search and interact with these brands on Google+. And did you know, Google+ content can rank in search results where your website may not be. This could be any brand’s biggest opportunity because each post has a unique URL that can rank in search results. Google+ generates more brand engagement than other social media channels. Posts on Google+ generated nearly as much engagement per follower as Facebook posts.
5. 79% of U.S. Pinterest Users are Female and 21% are Male
Pinterest, one of the newest social media channels, has roughly 70 million active users. Although the gender gap for Pinterest is vast, there is a market for certain business categories where Pinterest can be beneficial like: food industries, fashion lines, wedding businesses and childcare. The most popular destination from pins clicked is blogs. If your brand has a great blog, this could be the perfect avenue for promoting your brand and building your audience. It seems as if the obsession of Pinterest bodes well for marketers too as only 27% of U.S. Pinterest users do not mind a promoted pin. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest does not have the best analytical tools. There are programs that allow you to track pins in real-time such as:
- Piqora.com
- PinAlerts.com
- Pinreach.com
- HelloInsights.com
- Pingraphy.com
If you’re nervous about pinning, here’s some tips and tricks.
There you have it, social media for business. Whether you are experimenting with your current social media plan or coming up with a new one, this data should help you have a better sense for your social media audience.
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