Organic reach has been a more frequent topic of conversation at Social House, Inc. Staying up-to-date with Facebook’s algorithm and it’s seemingly ever-evolving changes has become a full-time job in itself and so is getting a brand’s content exposed to fan’s news feeds without paying to play. But is Facebook the best place for brands to invest in order to drive sales? We wanted to explore the changing demographic share of this channel. Here are some facts for you to consider:
1) Facebook’s Audience is Maturing — According to eMarketer, the age group that will show the biggest increase in the share of Facebook users in the coming year is 65+ year-olds. Baby boomers are finally realizing that they can keep in touch with their children and grandchildren via social media, and that it is not as technically out of reach as they had perhaps once thought. However, the other major age groups are set to remain pretty static, supporting the findings of the UK survey. A key point in the research is that the 25 – 34 year-olds, the biggest slice of the Facebook pie, really want to see retailer promotions in their social news feeds, particularly on Facebook. However, Retailers need to note that the 25+ demo is still eager to make purchases via Facebook Promoted Post ads.
2) Millennials — In particular, 18 – 24 year olds are moving away from Facebook and on to other channels that are not populated by their parents and grandparents. Activity and engagement on Facebook has stayed stagnate and other channels such as Instagram, Twitter and SnapChat are experiencing explosive user acquisition growth. Instagram ads may want to be your shift in focus if your target is a younger demographic. One interesting point out of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research was that as many as 85% of US Millennials follow a brand or company on Twitter to get a coupon or discount. However, as with Facebook, they are not the top spenders.
3) Brands New to Evolve with the Changes – Social media channels are undoubtedly critical in creating engagement, and they increasingly drive sales, but marketers should be well advised to maintain an ‘even spread’ in their digital marketing activities. Research has shown that promotions have a real effect on the behavior of consumers. It’s the savvy retailers and social media innovators who will reap the benefits of this knowledge.