Your Fear of Social Media—Your Older Target Audience is Within Reach
Part four on the fear some people in government, associations and nonprofits express when whey contemplate social media.
Entering social media now is like having an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of Google or Apple. If you knew it was going to become a worthwhile investment, you would have bought.
Social media has gone mainstream. Those turned off by the fact that social media use skews younger can take comfort that the demographics are getting older.
Some within government or associations or nonprofits have not been happy with the results of their social media efforts. “I’m getting a lot of younger people but not the audience I’m looking for,” some of you have said. But as stated, the demographics are quickly getting older. The increase in the 35-60 age group is stronger than ever before. It’s time to reach out to them.
There is evidence that younger Facebook audiences are leaving possibly because their parents and grandparents are joining.
Everyone likes articles, audio and video that address their needs for knowledge and interaction and respects learning styles. It’s not the sole prerogative of younger people.
Increasingly the sites I work with are citing more people representing older age groups representing their desired audience for memberships and donations. Mayors, state legislators and representatives of Congress are using social media on a daily basis.
It’s just a matter of time before those 40 years or older start dominating the Internet. Baby boomers have dominated the social discussion for decades and they are not about to stop now.
It’s those who enter social media early who often get a leg up on all others and it’s time to reconsider your reluctance to use social media if you’ve been turned off by the dominance of younger audiences.
Best, Len.
