Demographics of the Top 7 Social Media Networks

To get the most from your social media marketing efforts, you have to know your audience. After all, there are 2.8 billion people (including 7 in 10 Americans) using social media—a 22% increase from the previous year. Not everyone is using the same platforms or using them the same way, so here’s some insight into the demographics and usage characteristics for the top 7 social media networks to help you better target your audience.

Facebook

Facebook continues to be the most popular social media network with 1.9 billion unique monthly users. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Female (83% of online women; 75% of online men)

· Best Place to Reach Millennials and Generation X (the latter spends almost 7 hours per week on social media)

· 75% of Users Spend 20 Minutes or More on the Network Every Day

YouTube

With 1 billion unique monthly users, YouTube has become an alternative to cable television for many users. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Male (55% of users are men; 45% are women)

· Great Place to Connect with Millennials and Generation X (reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any U.S. cable television network)

· Approximately 2 Million Video Views per Minute

Instagram

With 700 million unique monthly users, Instagram is the fastest growing social media network; although more than 80% of users live outside the U.S. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Female (38% of online women; 26% of online men)

· Great Place to Reach Millennials (90% of users are under 35 years old)

· 53% of Users Follow Brands

Twitter

With 317 million unique monthly users, Twitter is the most oversaturated social media network. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Male (22% of online men; 15% of online women)

· Great Place to Reach Millennials (36% of online adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are on the network)

· 53% of Users Never Post Updates

· Users Spend an Average of 2.7 Minutes per Day on the Mobile App

Pinterest

With 317 million unique monthly users, Pinterest has the most relevant and fresh content of any social media network. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Female (45% of online women; 17% of online men)

· Demographics Are Fairly evenly Distributed Among 18-64 Year-Olds

· Users Are 10% More Likely to Make an Ecommerce Purchase Than Other Social Media Networks

· Staying Power (half-life of a pin is 151,200 minutes vs. 24 minutes for a tweet and 90 minutes for a Facebook post)

LinkedIn

With 106 million unique monthly users, LinkedIn is the top professional and B2B social media network.

· Slightly Male (31% of online men; 27% of online women)

· 45% of Those Who Make $75K or More per Year Use the Network (vs. only 21% who make $30K or less per year)

· Users are Slightly Less Likely to Use Other Social Media Networks

Reddit

With 85 million unique monthly users, Reddit powers more than 50,000 communities of shared interests and ideas, each surfacing the most relevant content of the day. Additional statistics:

· Primarily Male (67% of users are men; 33% are women)

· Younger Demographic (64% of users are under 30)

· Sales Content Is Discouraged

Understanding where your customers and potential customers are and how they want to engage with you on social media are the first steps in deciding which platforms to choose. Focus on where they already are and follow the rules of those sites. Most important, show them your personality and have some fun with it!

Infographic source: Tracx.