Study shows Facebook still the leader - my Feb. 2015 Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly column
"Texting Congress 3" by Adam Fagen on Flickr
Each year, the Pew Research Center publishes its Social Media Update, a study of how American adults use the most popular social media platforms. The recently released 2014 study, conducted in September, showed subtle shifts in social media usage that reveal new opportunities – and challenges – for businesses. Here are a few of the highlights:
Facebook remains the heavyweight champion of the social media world, with 71 percent of American adults who report being Internet users, and 56 percent of American adults overall, active on the platform. No other major platform in the study claimed as much as 30 percent penetration among adult Internet users or 25 percent of the adult population at large. It’s notable, however, that the percentage of Facebook users remained the same as in the 2013 Pew study, meaning Facebook’s growth has stalled - the only platform in the study that didn’t reach a larger percentage of users. This is somewhat understandable given its rapid rise during the first few years of the decade - after all, what goes up must eventually level off - but it also hints at some attrition in Facebook’s user base (offset by new users, that is). What does this mean for your business? In short, Facebook is worthy of close consideration in your social media strategy, but it’s certainly not a place where you’ll find “everyone.” And you may find this population continuing to level off – or perhaps even decreasing – in subsequent years.
A majority of Internet users 65 and older - 56 percent - use Facebook. This is the first time a Pew study has determined that a majority of senior Internet users are on the platform, which reflects the overall “graying” of social media. What does this mean for your business? If you serve an older population, you’re just as likely to find them on Facebook as not. However, there are some indications that Facebook’s popularity with seniors has led to it being less popular among young adults.
Facebook’s users are more active than ever. Seventy percent of adult Facebook users say they visit the site every day, up from 63 percent in 2013. Forty-five percent do so several times a day. What does this mean for your business? Facebook is more dynamic than ever, but competition for attention has also never been greater. To stand out, you’ll need to share content that truly connects with your audience.
A majority of online adults – 52 percent – use more than one social media platform. It’s more likely today that someone will use multiple social media sites instead of just one. As social media use becomes more universal, we’re more willing to try new platforms. What does this mean for your business? You need to think like your customers. Understand that they will go to different platforms for different reasons and respond accordingly. Often, this means varying your content in relation to the platform rather than simply cross-posting.
Instagram saw the greatest growth, rising from 17 to 26 percent penetration. The platform proved to be especially popular among young adults, with 53 percent of adults 18-29 sharing photos on Instagram. What does this mean for your business? If your audience is young, and if you have the right content and approach, Instagram is worth your attention.
LinkedIn and Pinterest have the second highest rates of penetration in the study, with both reaching 28 percent of online adults. The two platforms are somewhat specialized, however: 50 percent of college-educated Internet users are on LinkedIn, and Pinterest attracts a disproportionally large female population (42 percent of online women are on Pinterest; as opposed to just 13 percent of men). What does this mean for your business? Raw percentages alone are not enough to determine where you should be. It’s important to dig deeper to find a critical mass of your audience.
Twitter fell from third to fifth in popularity among the five platforms in the study during the past two years. In 2012, Twitter’s penetration rate of 16 percent was higher than both Pinterest (15 percent) and Instagram (13 percent). In the most recent study, Twitter grew to a 23 percent penetration rate among online adults - but it didn’t grow as fast as Pinterest or Instagram (28 and 26 percent, respectively). What does this mean for your business? Twitter is no longer a “must have” next to Facebook (if such a thing exists at all). Twitter should be considered on its own merits, but it’s not necessarily more “important” than Instagram, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. It’s never been more important to understand your audience in order to select the right platforms.
There’s still a lot of room for growth. While it seems like social media is ubiquitous, most platforms are still used by a minority of American adults. In the population at large, only 19 percent are on Twitter, 21 percent on Instagram, 22 percent on Pinterest, and 23 percent on LinkedIn. What does that mean for your business? Social media definitely deserves a place in your marketing plan, but it’s one tool, not the entire toolbox. For many companies, the web, email, and traditional marketing strategies are just as important as social.
As always, the trends are worth watching to avoid complacency and to stay ahead of changing audience preferences. The Pew study is a good reminder that the most important social media skill is adaptability. You don’t have to know what’s going to change in the social media landscape. You just need to be ready to shift when it does.
