According to the recent The 2011 Social Media Consumer Trend and Benchmark Report from Experian/Simmons Research, nearly all young American adults that were surveyed are active on social media sites (around 98% to be exact). No surprise there, right? What might raise some eyebrows is that 82% of 55-64 year olds surveyed admitted they use social media (41% of online adult’s aged 50-plus visit Facebook.com each month).
In a recent study performed by the AARP, 65% of Washingtonians ages 45 or older claimed that they use social media to connect with friends and stay in touch. Why would you not want to reconnect with some of your long lost friends who did not grow up in the digital age?
We all know seniors (or some of us may be seniors) who are social media savvy or trying to learn. Seniors don’t just want to log in; they are actually spending time connecting on Facebook and even tweeting with brands. A recent study from Maritz Research found that 65% of Twitter users 55 years of age and older expect brands to follow-up to a tweeted complaint.
So what does this mean for brands? The use of social media is not just for connecting with the college students and young professionals; it can gain your business recognition from all walks of life. Companies continue to limit their social media efforts online towards a younger audience (which is fine if you are selling skateboards and energy shots), but my guess is that not too many products sold are that extremely age specific.
Whether you provide legal services or Internet services, it’s critical to listen specifically to each of the audiences you serve so your team can provide a customer experience that meets and exceeds expectations. If you want to explore social media for your business to tap into new audiences or just want to learn more about your customer’s buying habits; contact Social Strategy1 today to see how our team of marketers and analysts use custom built software to help simplify social media for business.
For more analysis on the Experian/Simmons report highlights, check out Kristina Knight’s article on BizReport.
Michael F. Lewis II is a Social Media Consultant and Marketing Analyst for Social Strategy1. He contributes several blogs weekly to the SS1 site. Connect with Michael on Twitter via @mlewii.