DO PEOPLE OVER 65 YEARS OF AGE USE FACEBOOK?

Unsurprisingly, social media usage is highest among adolescents and young adults aged 14-24.  It is estimated that young men spend 528 minutes a week on social media [1] , while young women spend considerably more time at 822 minutes each week. We find a similar trend among individuals aged 25-34. In this demographic men spend 367 minutes a week, a modest figure compared to their female peers who spend an approximate 550 minutes on social media a week.

What’s evident from these statistics is that the older the individual the less time they will spend on social media. For example, men aged 65+ will only spend 83 minutes a week and women 125 minutes. This tells us that older people are less likely to respond to advertising campaigns on media portals like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and linked-in. Their communication is predominantly conducted via phone calls and face-to-face interaction.

Then where are the over 65’s 

If people over 65 are only spending between 83-125 minutes on social media a week where are they spending their time, what outlets are they consuming. Radio is very popular; it reaches 66% of 65+ individuals each week [2]. TV is even more successful. In the 65+ age group the percentage reach of TV is at 94.2% (2017) [3] compared to 63.1% among 18-24-year olds. Demonstrating that television advertising is likely to be more effective if it is targeted at individuals 40+.

Boomers vs Millennial’s – How does their usage of social media differs 

There is a definite generational divide in the way people use social media. While 94% of people aged 18-29 own a smartphone [6], people aged 65+ are more likely to own a desktop computer (62% ownership rate). Likewise, only 6% of individuals aged 65+ will use social media 5x a day compared to the 55% of people aged 18-29 who do.

Interestingly, self-report studies show that in the 18-29-year-old age group social media is generally the first and last thing they will do each day. This might be a reason that 65+ year olds feel that social media is detrimental to patience, concentration, productivity and mental health.

Which social media channel is the most popular in Australia?

In Australia, Facebook has the most active users per month at 15,000,000 [4], approximately 60% of the Australian population. This is a massive number. Interesting to note, while people aged 14-24 are the most active users of social media, they represent the smallest proportion of the total number of users. The age group 65+ has more total users on social media at 1,200,000.

Social Media Users Per Month

Facebook – 15,000,000 Monthly Active Users

YouTube – 15,000,000 Unique Australian Visitors per month (UAVs)

Instagram – 9,000,000 Monthly Active Australian Users (FB/ Instagram data)

WhatsApp – 7,000,000 Active Australian Users

Snapchat – 6,400,000 Monthly Active Australian Users (Snapchat data)

WordPress.com – 5,800,000 Australian Users

Twitter – 4,700,000 Monthly Active Australian Users approx

LinkedIn – 4,500,000 Monthly Active Australian Users approx

Tumblr – 3,700,000 Australian Users

Tinder – 3,000,000 Australian users

Source: Social Media Stats Australia

Facebook data shows us that the largest population of Facebook users are aged 25-39. This 6.1 Million [5] is an enormous audience, who still spend a considerable amount of time on social media at 367-550 minutes a week. Digital marketing targeted to this demographic has incredible potential.

    Age Bracket                                   Number of Users*

13 – 17                                            940,000

18 – 25                                            3,500,000

25 – 39                                            6,100,000

40 – 55                                            4,100,000

55 – 64                                            1,600,000

65+                                                  1,200,000

Source: Social Media Stats Australia 

When are social media users most active? 

What’s the use knowing all of these stats if you can’t action them. National data shows that the majority of individuals, regardless of age are most active on social media between 8:00 am – 10:00am and are least active after 7:00pm [7]. So, when trying to reach your audience, the early bird gets the worm.

What are the advantages of digital marketing?

In an age dominated by technology and the internet, digital marketing is king. Why? Because digital marketing is tailored and specific. A personal trainer wants to market their services, they can target their ads at a chosen age group, gender, geographic location and interests. The personal trainer is able to save money and time by only marketing to the people who they want to reach. Say goodbye to the catch-all approach, with digital marketing, language can be specific, targeted, and relevant. Just as powerful as this, digital marketing allows us to re-target customers who showed an interest in the service or similar services in the past. Digital marketing is the way forward, it is a dynamic and powerful way to market your product or service.

Click HERE to find out more about Australian Internet and Social Media Statistics 

Source: https://www.roi.com.au/blog/news/do-people-over-65-years-of-age-use-facebook/

References:

[1]Roy Morgan Report: https://internetretailing.com.au/time-australians-spend-social-media/

[2] Commercial Radio: http://www.commercialradio.com.au/content/mediareleases/2019/2019-01-21-commercial-radio-audiences-at-all-time#.Xcjyk1czaUk

[3] Oztan Report: https://oztam.com.au/documents/Other/AVVR-Q4-2017-Med%20Res%20Final.pdf

[4] Social Media Stats Aus: https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia–january-2019

[5] Ditto: https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-january-2019/

[6] Yellow Pages: https://www.yellow.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Yellow-Social-Media-Consumer-Stats.df

[7] Social Bakers: https://www.socialbakers.com/blog/best-times-to-post-on-social-media