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You are here: Home / Archives for social media

Social Seniors

old man on laptop

Think social media is exclusively for millennials? Think again.

More seniors than ever are using platforms like Facebook for a variety of reasons, and that number is only going to rise in the coming years. Love it or hate it, social media has never been more essential to daily life. Want to keep in touch with your kids, grandkids, and old friends? Stay up to date on world events and relevant cultural touchstones? Without social media, that can be tough to do. But how are today’s social media savvy seniors using these tools, and how are advertisers taking advantage of their online presence?

Talk to someone in their teens or early 20s and they’ll say that while they probably still have a Facebook account, Instagram and Snapchat are their preferred apps. Facebook is a place they go to keep in touch with family, like the many baby boomers who are gravitating towards the site.  In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that 52 percent of people ages 50 to 64 and 32 percent of those 65 or older use Facebook.

What does the 60+ generation use sites like Facebook for other than commenting on family photos? Sharing inaccurate news, of course! Older Americans are more likely to share “fake news” online regardless of education, sex, race, income, and even party affiliation. So, while people who grew up on the internet have honed their ability to verify what is and isn’t a credible source, the baby boomer generation still struggles with discerning fact from fiction online.

Aside from using Facebook to proliferate the rising trend of false news, most older people are using it for the same reasons that we all do. They want to keep up to date with friends, family, and loved ones throughout the year.

 Old and young users aren’t just using social media for different reasons, they also have separate concerns. According to AARP, seniors are much more anxious about protecting their privacy online, with 52 percent of Facebook users over the age of 50 concerned about how their data is getting used. Just 39 percent of 18-to-49-year-olds share the same worry.

With baby boomers now making up such a large portion of the Facebook and social media community, it makes sense that advertisers are trying to find ways to appeal to them and grab their attention on those platforms. According to Bloom, a Senior Living Marketing Solutions company, Boomers on social media sites are 58 percent more likely to visit a company website, 57 percent more likely to continue searching for that company’s service on a search engine, and 42 percent more likely to visit a retailer or store.

So, how do you target seniors online in a way that entices them? Women in this age group are 26 percent more likely to share content online than men of the same age, so gearing your advertisements towards them is one place to start. Boomers also want to share content that’s meaningful and worthwhile with like-minded boomers, so focus more on substance rather than the snappy and clever slang that might appeal to younger users. Like most people, they also prefer messages and graphics that elicit a positive emotional response.

According to Adweek, older users are much more likely to be influenced by online advertising than their younger counterparts. Although they make up just a small percentage of Instagram’s user base, those who are on the app between the ages of 65 and 74 are most likely to search for the advertised product after seeing a promoted post. Common sense suggests that this holds true against all the social media platforms, Facebook included.

As social media becomes a more imperative part of the human experience with each passing year, the number of seniors who not only use the platforms but are comfortable and competent navigating them will only increase. Like with every demographic, it will be up to advertisers to stay afloat among ever-changing trends and user behavior to create content that grabs their attention.

For more information about Facebook advertising or social media marketing, please contact SPARKS! Marketing Communications at 866-500-8088 or visit www.onsparks.com

 

 

 

Social Media isn’t About Social Media

Social media is about a relationship with your customer.

Social media is a vital part of every company’s marketing campaign. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and many other social media platforms must be considered when a company wants to reach its target audience. These are necessary and to ignore them, you do so at your company’s peril.

However, social media isn’t, or shouldn’t be about social media. It’s about having a relationship with your customers.

[Read more…]

Facebook Video Creeping Up On YouTube

Facebook video threatens to overtake YouTube.

One of the biggest trends in content marketing this year is video. For years, YouTube has been the undisputed king of video and marketers have always automatically navigated to posting videos on its website.

And while YouTube is still the number one for video viewing and sharing, Facebook is slowly coming up behind, a development that marketers will not ignore.

According to new data released by Ampere Analysis, Facebook video is gaining ground on YouTube in terms of video views. Of Facebook’s video growth, in a Reuters report, Ampere Analysis’ Research Director Richard Broughton said, “If the social network’s own video ambitions are to be realized, and if it is to convince content owners it is a viable alternative to YouTube, it must deliver comparable returns.”

One of the advantages for Facebook video viewers is that, unlike on YouTube, there aren’t (as yet) pre-roll ads like there are on YouTube. Will this change? For content marketers, the other advantage of using Facebook video is that viewers have to be logged in to be able to see videos, unlike on YouTube. Thus, Facebook is able to gather more data on potential consumers for marketers.

Ampere’s infographic below breaks down the numbers more concisely.

Social Media Use Amongst Politicians

Social media the best way for presidential candidates to announce their campaigns?

Social Media Use Amongst PoliticianIn today’s social media saturated age, as more politicians announce their presidential candidacies to officially begin their campaigns, it would be easy to think that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and others would replace the traditional speeches. However, speeches are still the preferred way, so far, for most of the declared candidates.

2016, though, has seen Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz go online first to make their announcements. Hillary Clinton used an online video on her website, as well as Twitter, while Ted Cruz tweeted “I’m running for president and I hope to earn your support!” (Remember, online video for marketing is expected be a trend this year). Of course, every candidate has a Facebook page.

Social media announcements have still to catch up. According to Pew, “Since the 2004 election cycle, 27 of the 41 candidates who appeared in the Republican or Democratic presidential primary debates (or have announced for 2016) included a public address in their formal announcement, according to our calculations”
Social Media Use Amongst Politicians

When it comes to sharing political content, although Facebook rules in amount of users, the politically engaged see political content on Twitter. “Four-in-ten (41%) Twitter users who are very interested in politics say that at least half of the posts that they see are political. This compares with about a quarter (26%) of highly politically-interested Facebook users who say the same.”

Will 2016 be the election cycle when candidates use newer platforms to get in front of their audience and ahead of their opponents?

 

Teens Still Use Facebook

Almost three-quarters of teens still use Facebook

Teen Still use FacebookEach day, another new survey comes out about teens’ use of social media. Recently, conventional wisdom thought that teenagers were abandoning Facebook and switching to other social media platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram and others on which their parents were not present. However, according to a new survey by Pew Research, over 71% of teens still use Facebook.

Today’s teenagers are the social media generation. They have not grown up without the presence of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and all of the other social media platforms that are out there. Hence, they use daily, with 56% saying they use it several times a day, with a further breakdown as follows: “three-quarters (76%) of teens use social media, and 81% of older teens use the sites, compared with 68% of teens 13 to 14.”

Pew found that “Among the 18% of teens who only use one site, 66% use Facebook, 13% use Google+ and 13% use Instagram. Just 3% of the single site users use Snapchat, and another 2% say they use a site we didn’t ask about in the list, including Wattpad (a reading site), Youtube, Oovoo and ifunny, among others. Less than 2% (each) report using Twitter, Vine or Tumblr as their sole social media platform . . . Facebook is the most popular of all the social media platforms included in the survey, with 71% of all teens saying they use Facebook. Boys and girls are equally likely to report using the platform, but older users ages 15 to 17 are more likely to use it than younger users 13 to 14. Much of the difference is located within the youngest age group — the 13-year-olds — of whom less than half (44%) say they use Facebook, while of 77% of 14- to 17-year-olds report use.”

Screen Shot 2015-04-15 at 10.57.46 AMPew also showed the use of Facebook among teens across income, racial and ethnic groups. “Teens from somewhat less well-off households are more likely to report using Facebook than teens from wealthier homes; 77% of teens from families earning less than $50,000 annually use Facebook, while 68% of teens from households earning more say they use the platform. Use of Facebook is relatively consistent across racial and ethnic groups. Urban teens report more use of Facebook than teens from the suburbs, with 77% of urban teens on the site, compared with two-thirds (67%) of suburban teens.”

Clearly, Facebook should still figure highly in your marketing campaign.

 

How Social Media Shapes Consumer Behavior

Belgrade - May 13, 2014 Twitter And Other Popular Social Media WSocial media marketing is a powerful tool in today’s digital age. Companies know they cannot survive without it.

Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, etc., and whether it is B2B marketing or B2C, or a company just wanting to establish its brand, social media is vital. We know it influences consumers. [Read more…]

Pew Research Social Media Findings

Blue bird with social media iconsSocial media is an ever-present in daily life. Most of us have an account on one or more of the platforms of either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ or another one.

But which social media platform’s users are most engaged? Pew Research found out. [Read more…]

Here's How To Write Your Social Media Policy

social media, communication in the global computer networks.

 

 

Your social media policy might seem like another legal document you do not want to have to deal with, yet you know it is essential for you, your employees and your company as a whole – it protects your brand – as well as helping  you maintain good relationships with the public.  [Read more…]

What's In Your Social Media Policy?

vector background of the icons social computer networkYour social media policy will be one of the most important documents your company will have. It is a living document that can be updated regularly, since social media changes rapidly.

Time and again, we’ve seen many social media channels come to the fore one day, then quickly disappear in a short period of time. Even the survivors, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Flickr etc. – make changes that can affect your company’s social media communications. [Read more…]

Who Are The Stakeholders in Your Social Media Policy?

social media, communication in the global computer networksWe at Sparks continue to reflect on the social media session we recently had with Dena Lorenzi. One of the important things we learned was who the stakeholders in a social media policy are.

Knowing who your stakeholders are will help you craft your social media policy, so that it will be very effective and will help you navigate the fast-changing social media landscape. [Read more…]

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Where is your business showing up in your customers’ search results? Are you in the top results? Greg Pierce has the answers to get your business to break into the top positions.

Through the Better Business Bureau Greater Maryland webinar series, Greg will discuss:
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Seven years ago today - it seems like only yesterday! Happy SPARKS! Anniversary to our own Lauren Pierce! ... See MoreSee Less

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Wonderful anniversary! Keep up the great job!!!!

Happy Sparks anniversary to my very talented granddaughter!💕

Congratulations Lauren

Congratulations Lauren!

Happy anniversary!

Congratulations!

The best 7 years!

Congratulations 🎉

Perfect VIBE!!!

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