The Pew Internet & American Life Project has published their results of a recent study which found that 72% of adults in the United States use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and others. This is up from just 8% in 2005. Of American adults, the demographic which uses social media the most is those who are 18-29 at an astounding 89%.
This is certainly good news for marketers who can use social media to directly target adults for sales, or use it to help build brand recognition and loyalty. Companies of virtually every type can benefit from a strong social media presence across multiple platforms. The most popular site are, of course, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pintrest, but there are many others which can also put your brand in front of many adults.
Some people are concerned with the fact that the rapid growth in social media adoption by adults has started to slow, this shouldn’t be an issue. Most experts agree that the use of social media is a trend which will remain strong, and in the future the vast majority of people will continue using it for both personal and commercial activities. It is natural that the growth rate will slow down when it reaches these levels, but there will continue to be a steady stream of new users coming in as children transition into teens and adults.
The most important thing at this phase is to have a well maintained social media presence which will draw in followers. For most companies this will need to be a cross platform approach that starts with a web page that offers the option to follow them on all the major social networks.
As more people continue to use social media, and it has increased influence over their purchases, it will remain an important tool for all types of marketing. Companies need to make sure they are establishing themselves properly to maximize the results they are able to see from social media.
You can see the full study HERE.
