Social Media: Follow the Money

When it comes to demographics, not all social networks are created equal. This is important to consider when you’re allocating your social media marketing resources – you want to focus on quality vs. quantity here. Let’s breakdown the facts and figures to give you a better idea of where you need to be.

Facebook vs. MySpace

As Facebook has grown and become the dominant force in social networking over the past two years (in 2007, MySpace held that title,) not only have more and more individuals logged on to the site – but older and older users are getting connected. Perhaps this is the reason that Facebook users are more likely to be affluent than their MySpace counterparts.

According to a recent Nielsen study: if we were to imagine the financial strata as being divided equally into thirds ; then the top third would be much more likely to utilize Facebook over MySpace, while the reverse would be true for the bottom third.

What about Twitter?

Twitter is sort of the odd-man out — still important, but with a much smaller and more diverse audience. Twitter users are more likely to live in urban areas. Also, because of Twitter’s role on the periphery of the social network solar system – many of the people actively using it are early adapters who can also be found on Facebook and LinkedIn.

What does this mean for your company’s social media marketing strategy?

Facebook is the big dog when it comes to a demographic with disposable income. However, you should still consider the product you are marketing. If you are trying to connect your product with youth – then you will still need to have a MySpace presence. Just because a 39 year old affluent stay-at-home mom has a Facebook account – that doesn’t mean her 15 year old daughter isn’t active on MySpace. The key here is to have a focused social media strategy and stick with it. A Houston social media marketing company can help you with that.

Oh, and Twitter? Don’t give up on it altogether just because most of the users are active on Facebook as well. Twitter interactions are different (and in some instances, more powerful,) than those on Facebook. Twitter should be a part of your campaign, but you should utilize it to reach a certain audience in a certain way. To understand how to optimize your Twitter presence – it’s a good idea to understand the culture of Twitter. Once again, a social media marketing agency in Houston can help you understand both the landscape and the best path for your social media success.

Questions about this or other social media marketing topics? Use the comment section below, email me at jenn@directory.com , or go all SMM on me and contact me @SMMjenn on Twitter ; and I’ll do my best to address your question in an upcoming blog. You can also consult Directory One today at 713.465.0051

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