Are you targeting the right social media apps?
Many consumers use social media apps to interact with brands. These apps include common social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok. In some cases, these apps will be the first point of contact or the place where a consumer discovers a new brand. In other cases, consumers will use these apps to interact with brands – such as a consumer asking a question about the products or services that you offer.
You may be considering social media marketing, understanding that this is a great tool that can expose you to a potentially vast audience. And it is true, in the sense that the world is more connected today than it has ever been. These apps often help people make connections all across the globe, and they can be a great way to get promotional material in front of your prospective audience.
But which apps is that audience using? Are you focusing on the right types of social media advertising?
Usage of social media apps by the numbers
The first thing to look at is the overall percentage of Americans who say they use these specific apps. Here are a few of the key findings from a recent study:
- YouTube: 81%
- Facebook: 69%
- Instagram: 40%
- Pinterest: 31%
- LinkedIn: 28%
- Snapchat: 25%
- X, formerly known as Twitter: 23%
- TikTok: 21%
It’s also interesting to look at the use of these platforms over time. For instance, Facebook seems to have peaked right around 67% back in 2016. There has been relatively no change since then, outside of the slight increase to 69%. At the same time, YouTube has been on a stark upward trend since 2019, helping pull away from Facebook significantly.
The impact of age
It’s important to consider the age of your audience. Some apps are more popular with younger users than they are with older users. For instance, when those from 18 to 29 were asked, 71% of them claimed they used Instagram. It makes sense then, that 70% of the same age group would use Facebook – which is owned by the same company. But Facebook also tends to trend a bit older. For the group from 30 to 49, for instance, 77% claimed they used it. For those from 50 to 64, that claim was made 73% of the time.
These statistics can help you see how social media is used and where your audience tends to be. This type of research is very important when planning your social media marketing and online ad campaigns. Get in touch with us at Content Customs for any guidance or assistance along the way.
