Social Networks Demographics

Social Network demographics can be very useful for individuals and businesses that are looking into where to focus their efforts.

MySpace

Although MySpace was not the original social network, I do give it credit for helping make social networks mainstream.

According to OperationRedState, as of May 2009, MySpace had an estimated 64 Million users.  That number is difficult to ignore.

Furthermore, 14% of the users are Hispanic - which I thought was interesting.

Facebook

In January of 2009, Facebook announced that it had exceeded 150 million users worldwide.

Almost 50% of Facebook’s users are in the 18 - 34 age bracket, although the ages that are showing the largest growth is the baby boomers.  For example, as of August 2009, people 55 years of age and older accounted for 25% of Facebook’s growth.

As of October of 2009, Facebook has 300 million users.

YouTube

YouTube gets 81 million views a month in the US alone.  The demographics of YouTube users were surprising similar to that of Facebook.  However, I haven’t heard any reports of a growing number of baby boomer users like Facebook.

An interesting fact about YouTube was that almost 50% of the website’s users did not have a college education, but high schoolers only made up about 20% of that.

Twitter

Twitter has probably seen the fastest amount of growth.  Between March and May, it was reported that Twitter doubled its users, reaching 23 million users.  Also, Twitter’s users seem to be evenly split between household income brackets.

“$0 to 30k : 22%, 30 to 60k : 28%, 60 to 100k : 23%, 100k+ : 27%”

Final Thoughts

The most interesting thing I found about social network demographics is that every site is almost split 50/50 between male and female users.

Another thing that I haven’t been able to wrap my head around yet, is that even though most social networks had a thriving population of users between the ages 18 and 34, most of the websites have not been profitable.  This seems nonsensical since that age range is typically a marketers ideal demographic.  I’m sure with Twitter’s recent 1 Billion dollar valuation and with Facebook finally earning a profit, that we are well on our way to learning how to monetize social networks.

New Zealand Tweets more than United States

According to Scoop.co.nz and Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand uses Twitter more than the United States.  This is surprising, considering how popular Twitter has gotten with businesses and the general public over the past 12 to 18 months.

From the articles:

“…the rising use of Twitter is in line with New Zealand’s growing acceptance of social media as an every day means of communicating both socially, and increasingly, for business reasons too.”

Maybe the United States will increase its use of social media when older people finally realize that social networks are here to stay.

“survey of 1000 New Zealanders aged between 15 and 65 showed 58 percent use Facebook, 18 percent use Bebo, 7 percent use MySpace and 3 percent use LinkedIn. And 88 percent said blogs, streaming video, podcasting and social platforms were here to stay.

The survey also found 83 percent of people used online banking to check balances or pay bills while 72 percent regularly shopped online.”

This just goes to show that social networks are becoming almost as mainstream as shopping online and internet banking.

How to Promote your Business on Social Networks

The Jim MacMillan, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Story

Over the past 2 years Jim MacMillan, a Pulitzer Prize Winning photojournalist, has gained quite a following by blogging, sharing his photos, and using social networks such as Twitter.  In that short amount of time, he has gained over 14,000 followers on Twitter and stays connected with almost 500 people on Facebook.

This type of marketing is amazing considering the organic nature of what Jim has done compared with how much money businesses are spending on social networks.  For instance,

MediaPost reported that businesses spent $2.2 billion on social-networking in 2008, nearly twice as much as they did in 2007, primarily through advertising on popular sites like MySpace and Facebook.

The reason for the shift in organic marketing is probably due to:

…entertainment used to be watching TV or buying movie tickets…That shift is a desire to connect with the artist and to support [him or her] directly.

By being connected with the brand personally, consumers often become evangilists for the brand, just like friends and family members support each other.  With over 200 million users on a social network, the numbers add up quickly and reciprocation can be amazing.

Read Jim’s Full Story at Knowledge@Wharton

Which Social Network Would You Pay For?

Abrams Research

It is obvious businesses are getting comfortable using social networks to promote their brands. However, companies are still trying to figure out which social networks to use and how to use them.

According to Abrams Research 32% of “media leaders” say that they would pay for Facebook, given the choice of purchasing a single social network. However, when asked which social network you should pay for, Twitter beats Facebook at 39%.

See the rest of the results at Tech Crunch

Why Social Network?

Social Networking can help you get a job, get signed to a record label, or attract new business.

Nathan Egan has 5 good reasons to start using social networks.

How Businesses use Social Networks (Small Business)

Some may think that only large brands, such as Ikea, Coco-Cola, and Snickers with cult-like followings have a use for social networking.  However, the stories below prove otherwise.  Small business does have a use for social networking - and if done correctly, can increase revenue.

Free Spirit Yacht Cruises

Despite a poor economy Free Spirit Yacht Cruises’ revenue is up 30% from last year.  The co-owner, Angela Motola-Donofrio, feels that the increase in sales is due to the company reaching out to customers on the social networks Facebook and Twitter.

BradsDeals.com

BradsDeals.com didn’t see a need to get involved in Social Networking until the company founder read on Nielsen Online that the greatest growth in age on Social Networks are ages 35 - 49.  Since March 1, 2009 “the company has attracted 2,500 followers through Twitter … and nabbed 1,200 Facebook users …”

The Scion Group

This real estate agency that targets college students recently used Facebook to announce a student designs fashion show.  Because of the Facebook announcement, the show drew a more people than the venue could handle.

These stories are just a few of the success stories of small businesses involved with social networking.  Read the entire Chicago Tribune story.