By now, hopefully we can all agree that social media is no longer just for kids. Over the last five years, social media use by people over the age of 30 has grown significantly, and real estate professionals who have dedicated resources to social media marketing have benefited through increased business. If you’re still on the outside looking in or just doing the bare minimum on social media, perhaps this data from the Pew Research Center will convince you to make social media marketing a real part of your marketing strategy.
AGE
Clearly young adults still use social media at the highest rate, but take a look at the trend for all age groups over 30 since 2008. Most notably, usage by people ages 50-64 rose from 9% to 51% and usage by those over 65 increased from 2% to 35%. This is a major shift in the age demographics of social media users and real estate professionals should take notice. If you think your target market is too old to use social media platforms, you may want to reconsider.
INCOME
Some real estate professionals that work with higher income individuals dismiss social media marketing because they assume their target market doesn’t spend time on social networks. In reality, higher income groups use social media at a noticeably higher rate than those that make less.
If this sort of data interests you, feel free to read the rest of this fantastic report here! With this data in mind, it’s clear that social media is a viable advertising platform for real estate professionals targeting a variety of age and income demographics. When you consider that Facebook’s revolutionary targeting options will allow you to advertise specifically to people in your target market with identifiable ROI, social media is simply a must.