Wendy Schollum - Social media: It's not just for the teenagers

I still recall a tutor telling my DVD-authoring class that it's the young and the porn industry that are the fastest adopters of emerging technology. But this isn't always the case.
There is a misconception that social media is "just for young people" - enabling technophobe business owners to justify "hiding" from this new marketing medium, to the detriment of their business.
If you've made the assumption that your target market can't be reached using social media, it's important to review recent research, before you write off what, potentially could be the most powerful and cost-effective form of marketing for your business.
While the birth of social media sites saw a raft of "young users" quickly embrace the technology, research released late last year showed that the age of the average social media user (on a number of different sites) was not in the 0-24-year-old age range.
The user data of 19 different social media sites was analysed and revealed that only 24 per cent of the users on these sites were aged from 0-24 ("young people"). The most dominant age range was actually the 35-44-year-old group - the very demographic of many of the businesses we work with target.
The reason for the sudden uptake of social media sites by this slightly older group can only be assumed, but the general consensus is that these sites appeal to the technologically adept and social nature of Generation X (28-42 year olds who primarily make up this group). Having grown up with computers and having a pre-disposition to want to stay connected with those they love, makes them the perfect candidates to embrace an easy-to-use, technology-based medium for staying in contact, sharing views and swapping media (for example, images, videos, blogs).
So, when considering whether your business should factor social media into your marketing budget, consider that 61 per cent of Facebook users are 35 or older and 64 per cent of Twitter users are 35 or older.
Wendy Schollum is a web strategist and managing director of Xplore.net Online Solutions. If you would like advice on developing a social media marketing strategy for your business, follow the Xplore.net team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/XploreNET), connect through Facebook (www.facebook.com/XploreNET) or call the friendly Xplore.net team on 0800 100 900.