An effective brand knows who their clients are. Because a brand is normally selling to a specific audience, it is important to know what that audience is like. Where do you find them? If you are looking for on them on social media, make sure you are marketing on the right sites.
Facebook is still the number one social media site. Part of the reason could be because the group of people that uses social media the most – Gen Xers – prefer Facebook. That being said, what does your typical Facebook persona look like?
Predominantly female (though only slightly),
American, Rural or urban,
Well-educated,
Between ages 18-49.
Picture: A 30-something wife with a job that is probably not the most important thing in her life, and a big backyard.
Still, since 79% of Internet users are on Facebook, you have a good chance of reaching your target audience on Facebook, no matter who you are aiming for.
People on Twitter are usually less social, and more interested in following news or popular personalities. That could be good news for people finding your brand, but might be difficult when it comes to getting them to tell others about it. This is the site, however, most consumers go to for customer service issues. And who would these people mostly be?
Women, again, are found on Twitter only slightly more than men.
Urban and well-educated users are posting.
Millennials, with Gen X following, are the largest group you’ll find.
Picture: A 20-something woman (or man) with a fascination for someone famous on TV or in sports or music who checks tweets on the way to the club.
Make sure you can be found on Twitter if your audience is between the ages of 18-35, but don’t expect them to share too much about your brand.
Instagram had a quick run as most popular social media site with the younger crowd. But current stats are showing that Instagram is now neck and neck with Snapchat. Not only that, but its biggest following (millennials) is starting to drop away from social media altogether. So who’s left on this site, and does that persona fit your marketing bill? The lines between demographic differences are becoming more pronounced.
Women over men by more than 10%.
Urban users are dominant.
Millennials are twice as likely to be on Instagram than all other age groups combined.
Tend to be less-educated (because most are currently being educated.)
Picture: An artist young woman in her early 20s, on her way through the city to her next college class.
Because Instagram is visually-focused, it is more attractive to the female crowd. And because users are younger, they will tend to read less content that is posted. Keep your ads visually stimulating and simple to reach this type of user and hopefully your brand will get a like or two.
Snapchat
Snapchat is still regarded as “up and coming,” though it has been around for 7 years now, and young people have been using it for a while. The demographic numbers for this site are cut and dried.
Females are predominant (70% of users).
Millennials are using this site (again, 70% of users).
As with Instagram, we see a lower level of education, mostly due to age.
Picture: A late teen girl with many popular interests of the day who is only really interested in posting on her phone when she gets a good picture of herself (to which, of course, she will add a cute, dog ear filter.)
Due to the nature of the lifespan of a Snapchat post, this also might not be your ideal marketing destination, unless you plan to completely bombard your millennial audience with your brand.
LinkedIn is a different type of social media site in that it is the professionally focused. People usually don’t go on LinkedIn to look around or spend much time there. It’s a great place to locate information about your target audience, search for employees, or get advice from colleagues, but not necessarily your selling point. Who is the person you are reaching out to on LinkedIn?
Male (the first site we have seen that used more by men than women.)
Urban and highly-educated
Millennials and Gen X are tied for the highest usage on LinkedIn, so the persona for this user is between ages 18-49.
Picture: A man in his early 40s, updating his resume and trying to look for people who can help him advance in his career.
As you can see, you are reaching a very different audience when you use LinkedIn. Not a great place to sell, but still the person you find here can help you grow your business.
Knowing who is on the site you are using can help you get an idea about who is looking at your product. Conversely, knowing who will be interested in your product should guide you to which social media site you should be visible on. Make sure you understand the buyer persona of your brand to get the most out of your marketing dollar.
