Demographics for Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

Introduction

According to statistics, 3.2 million people (42% of the world population) are users of social media. For marketers, this translates into an enormous amount of research to hone in on learning the audience demographics of social media platforms. Busy marketers know this process is time-consuming in itself, without taking into consideration the ever-changing social media landscape.  Improvements and new social media platforms are constantly being produced.

Although there remains much more to the research, the following is a snapshot of the most popular social media platforms. By studying the demographics of each social media platform, you can plan your marketing budget and strategies around the platform(s) that attract your target audience.

Facebook

With Facebook being the top social media platform among adult users, it's important to know the Facebook audience when structuring your brand's social media campaigns.

Active monthly users: 2.7 billion

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 18-29 = 86%
• 30-49 = 77%
• 50-64 = 51%
• 65+ = 34%

Time on this platform: 34 minutes per day.

Percentage of device users who access this platform:

• Laptop/desktop = 25%
• Mobile = 96%

Gender:

• Male = 46%
• Female = 54%

Instagram

Owned by Facebook, this photo and video sharing app has 500 million daily users, with that number still growing. Popular with shoppers and businesses, about 71% of businesses in the U.S. have accounts on Instagram, while 83% of Instagram users have been introduced to businesses through Instagram.

Instagram's August 2020 launch of Reels reflects their continued rivalry with TikTok for the younger demographics.

Active monthly users: 1 billion

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 18-29 = 67%
• 30-49 = 47%
• 50-64 = 23%
• 65+ = 8%

Time on this platform: 53 minutes per day.

Gender:

• Male = 49%
• Female = 51%

Pinterest

Pinterest is a pictorial search engine that introduced e-commerce shopping via social media. A 2018 research study by Pinterest discovered 72% of users were motivated to shop even when they hadn't considered buying, and 70% of its users learn of new products through this platform. Pinterest refers 33% more traffic to e-commerce websites versus Facebook referrals.

Active monthly users: 322 million

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 18-29 = 34%
• 30-49 = 35%
• 50-64 = 27%
• 65+ = 15%

Time on this platform: 14.2 minutes per visit.

Percentage of device users who access this platform:

• Mobile = 80%

Gender:

• Male = 30%
• Female = 70%

Twitter

Twitter, known for post brevity, allows its users to tag a tweet to anyone, including businesses. This has made it ideal for customers to direct their complaints or compliments straight to customer service, who can immediately respond.

Active monthly users: 330 million

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 18-29 = 38%
• 30-49 = 26%
• 50-64 = 17%
• 65+ = 7%

Time on this platform: 3.39 minutes per visit.

Gender:

• Male = 50%
• Female = 50%

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the primary professional networking platform for B2B marketing. As most are higher-educated professionals, its largest age group, 30-49, reflects the typical career age demographic.

Active monthly users: 260 million

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 18-24 = 21%
• 25-34 = 60%
• 35-54 = 17%
• 55+ = 3%

Time on this platform: 6 minutes, 7 seconds per visit.

Gender:

• Male = 57%
• Female = 43%

YouTube

YouTube hosts videos that can be entertaining, instructional, or that are both simultaneously. Whether it's an entertaining pet or baby videoclip, an instructional cooking video, or a fun travel video, YouTube video topics are endless.

Active monthly users: 2 billion

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 15-25 = 81%
• 26-35 = 71%
• 36-45 = 67%
• 46-55 = 66%
• 56+ = 58%

Time on this platform: 11 minutes, 43 seconds per day.

Percentage of device users who access this platform:

• Mobile = 70%

Gender:

• Male = 50%
• Female = 50%

Snapchat

In recent years, Snapchat has increased its popularity among the teen and young adult demographics. In 2020, it was the preferred network of teens in the U.S. over Instagram and TikTok.

Active monthly users: 381 million

Percentage of internet users per age group who use this platform:

• 15-25 = 53%
• 26-35 = 34%
• 36-45 = 18%
• 46-55 = 11%
• 56+ = 4%

Time on this platform: 30 minutes per day, while 49% of users visit several times per day.

Percentage of device users who access this platform:

• Mobile = 100%, as Snapchat is a mobile-only app.

Gender:

• Male = 38%
• Female = 61%

TikTok

Famous for its brief video clips, TikTok's largest user base is in the 18-24 group and one of the favorites among younger users.

Active monthly users: 100 million

Time on this platform: 45+ minutes per day.

Gender:

• Male = 41%
• Female = 59%

Conclusion

By knowing which demographics are attracted to each social media platform, you can save marketing effort and expense by focusing on the platforms your prospective customers might frequent. As the world of social media evolves, so will its following. Needless to say, it's always a good idea to keep yourself updated on current social media trends and demographics, keeping you on the cutting edge of locating your ideal audience.