Despite every historical turning point, we still have the attitude that men rule the roost, including when it comes to social media and technology. However, after research was conducted on social media demographics, women took the tally for the highest number of users on social media. Not only was it shown that they use social media more often than men, but they use it in a bigger variety of ways.
33% of US women are using Pinterest compared to the much smaller 3% of men. Research showed that thirty-seven minutes are being spent on social media, daily and over half of this is usage is by women. Furthermore, 60% of social media surfing is done on tablets and smartphones with a healthy quantity of this percentage, again, being women. But why and how is this relevant to social media marketing?
If you do the right research, then not only can you track down where your demographic is spending most of its time, but you can target it and ensure you are reaching your audience effectively. For example, looking at the earlier statistics, if you were launching a new line of men’s fitness equipment then posting pictures of it on Pinterest could be a waste of your time and effort. However, using these statistics to reach your intended market is not the only issue that needs to be identified here.
If there are more women than men using social media, this doesn’t completely limit you to only using social media to advertise products directed at women. These statistics can be used to any company’s advantage. Even if you are producing a product or brand for a male audience, why not pursue a marketing angle that will appeal to women. It could be argued that women can have quite an influential hold on men, especially a boyfriend or husband.
Why not promote ideas that your product is the perfect addition to a female companions life? For example, if you were producing a new line of men’s hair care products, don’t post on social media of how it will make you (being the male) look good, but how it can make your (being the girlfriend) boyfriend look good. Hopefully this all makes sense but the point I am getting at is to promote how your product, whatever it may be, can benefit the millions of women out there who are trawling through social media feeds.
Between this, also remember to harness the ‘girl power’ attitude that is always underlining the society we live in. Allow women to see your social media content and feel a connection with it. Let the expanse of female social media users feel empowered by your business; start a trend, make it viral, reach even more women. Forty-six percent of women access social media via their smartphones compared to 43% of men. Likewise, 32% of women access social media via a tablet compared to 20% of men, so let your campaign be accessible and ‘shareable’ on-the-go.
The ‘No makeup selfie’ has proved a huge success in raising awareness, and money, for Cancer Research. If we can all find ways to get the women on board to spread the word, as they do so well, then there is no reason for any marketing campaign, for any business to go unnoticed.
By content manager – Astrid Hall – @AstridGiraffeSM
