So what does this all mean? Manufacturers who still think the only ones using social are the 18-29 year olds should think again.You might be missing a golden opportunity to reach your target audience.
It means folks over 50 that are using social media (yes, even professional tradesmen and contractors) nearly doubled from 22% in April of 2009 to 42% in May of 2010 according to the Pew Research Center. That’s good news for manufacturers who are trying to reach the older set of professionals who typically own or manage contractors.
- One in Five (20%) online adults 50-64 say they use social network sites on a typical day. That’s up 10% over last year.
- Overall, 92% of those 50-64 send/read e-mail every day. 76% get news online.
- 52% of 50-64 adults are using social media on a regular basis.
| Social Media Trends, 2009-2010 | ||||
| % of online adults who use SNS or Twitter, 2009-2010 | ||||
| 2009 | 2010 | % Point Change, 2009-2010 | % Change, 2009-2010 | |
| Social Networking Use | ||||
| All adults | 46% | 61% | 15 | 33% |
| Age | ||||
| 18-29 | 76 | 86 | 10 | 13% |
| 30-49 | 48 | 61 | 13 | 27% |
| 50-64 | 25 | 47 | 22 | 88% |
| 65+ | 13 | 26 | 13 | 100% |
| Twitter/Status Update Use | ||||
| All adults | 11% | 17% | 6 | 55% |
| Age | ||||
| 18-29 | 20 | 27 | 7 | 35% |
| 30-49 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 45% |
| 50-64 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 120% |
| 65+ | 3 | 5 | 2 | – |
| Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 2010 | ||||
If you’re reading this, I may be preaching to the choir but I’m sure you can think of someone within your organization you could forward to and let them know older people use social too!
