Did you know that there are an estimated 3 billion social network users in the world? This is almost half of the world’s population! For businesses, social media is now one of the primary forms of communicating with their customers.
It’s easy to presume that the majority of customers at your bespoke kitchen design business will be over 40 years of age. This might leave you believing they won’t be active users on social media so there’s ‘no point’ using Facebook, Twitter etc. for your business. You might just be wrong…
Whilst figures differ, according to some research, 59% of the British population have an active social media account- that’s just over 41 million people! Research also indicates that the proportion of older users (65+) is as high as 49%, and even higher (65%) for those aged 50-64. For Facebook- by all accounts the world’s largest social network- the average user is 41 years old and 65% of users are over 35.
As a business, there’s a lot of potential to attract older customers (who traditionally have a higher degree of disposable income) via social channels so dismissing social networks as a ‘youngster’s fad’ could be a costly mistake.
It is becoming more commonplace to see businesses embrace social media fully as part of their marketing strategy, which is particularly sensible considering that some research indicates as many of 90% of customer purchasing decisions are made following online advocacy- the electronic ‘word of mouth,’ if you like!
It is also worth bearing in mind that in many developed countries, the aging demographic of the population means that we’re becoming a more ‘mature’ society with an older population. As this trend continues, it is inevitable that the uptake of social media by older consumers will take place.
The point we are trying to make is that your customers are, now more than ever, online and having a website (amongst billions of websites) isn’t enough to cut the mustard anymore. Perhaps one thing we can learn from this is that whatever age your customers they are more than likely going to be using social media networks, and with all of the social networks reporting healthy growth in memberships, every day passed is a day where social media gains relevance to commerce.
Whilst social networking certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all of modern marketing, it certainly is worth some investment of time in researching how it could work for you. If you are thinking of getting online, you can refer to our social media guides for easy-to-read advice by clicking here.
If you need help with your business’s social media marketing or any aspect of your marketing, we have the knowledge and know it inside out!
Get in touch with us:
01244 515569
Images: Dionne Lew; Wallpaperup.com
