The ultimate Facebook marketing guide for social media managers

With 3.2 billion people using social media—42% of the world’s population—its power is clear. But just because you know you’ll find masses of people on social doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get your message in front of the right eyeballs. For that, you need to target demographics you know will be interested in your brand, and you can’t treat all social networks the same: Facebook users are markedly different from Snapchat users, and when users log on to LinkedIn, they’re not looking for the same things Instagram users are.

3.2 billion people, or 42% of the world's population, use social media.

Social media audience demographics unlock a detailed picture about users that can help marketers shape their strategy. At Khoros, we understand the value of knowing who your audience is on social media and to that end, our 2021 Social Media Demographics Guide presents audience information for a number of social networks in an easily digestible infographic form. Here, though, we thought we'd take an even deeper dive into the demographics of people on Facebook, the inarguable giant of the social media world.

If you’re just getting your feet wet in social marketing, Facebook can be overwhelming. But fear not — we’ve compiled this handy Facebook marketing guide complete with the latest features, tips, and tricks to help you drive immediate results and take your Facebook marketing to the next level.

To succeed on Facebook, you’ll need more than excellent content and a perfectly calibrated publishing schedule. You’ll also need to understand who’s using Facebook and how, why users log on when they do, and what users are looking for when they get there. The following Facebook statistics and insights will help your marketing team hone your 2021 strategy and ensure your content reaches further and engages successfully.

Facebook is the platform of choice for marketers. According to eMarketer, 86% of U.S. marketers use Facebook, and in their Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Social Media Examiner found that over half of marketers currently use Facebook as their main platform.

Social networking didn’t begin with Facebook, but Facebook reaches more people than any other network ever has. There’s no doubt your audience is on the network, and statistics like the ones below will help you find them.

Top Facebook statistics

1. Over 2.45 billion monthly active users and 1.62 billion daily active users are on Facebook

(Source: Facebook)

As of December 2017, just over 30% of the world’s population uses Facebook each month. These numbers are impressive all on their own, but when you look at the numbers of monthly active users on other top social platforms, Facebook’s dominance becomes even more apparent:

• At the end of Q1 2019, Twitter had 330 million monthly active users (14% of Facebook’s total)
• At the end of Q4 2019, Instagram, part of the Facebook family, had 1 billion monthly active users (42% of Facebook’s total)
• At the end of Q3 2019, Snapchat had 49 million monthly active users (just 2% of Facebook’s total)

The takeaway: Facebook’s active user base has grown continually since the network launched, and it continues to be one of the most used social networking sites in the world. The numbers tell us that brands need an active Facebook presence. For more on how to distinguish who you are speaking to, read on:

2. Facebook is the number one platform for adults

(Source: Pew Research Center)

In the U.S., 69% of adults use Facebook while 37% use Instagram, 27% use LinkedIn, and 22% use Twitter. The usage numbers for other social platforms are respectable, but it’s clear that Facebook is where the action is, especially for adults.

The takeaway: Whomever your brand is hoping to reach on social, you’re likely to find them on Facebook.

Whomever your brand is hoping to reach on social, you're likely to find them on Facebook

3. 65% of adults between 50 and 64 use Facebook

(Source: Pew Research Center)

When we look more closely at the age groups of adults using Facebook, we can see that younger adults have the strongest presence, but even seniors are using the network in high numbers:

• 86% of adults between 18 and 29 use Facebook
• 77% of adults between 30 and 49 use Facebook
• 51% of adults between 50 and 65 use Facebook
• 34% of adults 65+ use Facebook

The takeaway: If you’re looking for millennials, you’ll find them on Facebook. But though younger adults tend to be the flashiest marketing targets, don’t discount adults over 50—you’ll find them in big numbers on Facebook, too. Because they tend to use social media differently than their younger cohorts, it’s worth creating a marketing strategy just for older adults. For example, adults over 50 tend to like to repost content rather than directly share their own opinions, and marketers who create easily shareable content are therefore more likely to capture the attention of this demographic.

4. Facebook users are likely to have at least some college

(Source: Pew Research Center)

More than three-quarters of Facebook users in the U.S.—74%—are college graduates, and 71% have some college. Facebook users are more highly educated than users on any other social platform, including LinkedIn, where just 50% of users have graduated college and 22% have some college.

The takeaway: Facebook offers an opportunity for marketers to create and share content that will resonate with a more educated audience.

5. Facebook is truly global: 88% of monthly active users are outside the U.S. and Canada

(Source: Facebook)

Facebook users in the U.S. and Canada account for just 12% of the world’s population of monthly active users, meaning that brands will find a global audience on the network. What’s more, Facebook supports more than 70 languages, meaning global brands have a lot of options for engagement.

The takeaway: Experimenting with global audiences could uncover surprising engagement opportunities.

6. 75% of Facebook users spend 20 minutes or more on the network each day

(Source: Khoros)

And, the average user spends 35 minutes each day on Facebook. Marketers have more time to reach users on Facebook, and new platforms like Facebook Watch aim to increase the amount of time users spend on the social network—good news for marketers.

The takeaway: If you’re thinking of experimenting with content that would keep users engaged longer, Facebook audiences are likely to be open to it as they’re already spending quite a bit of time on the platform.

1. Give people easier ways to take action with call-to-action buttons

Everyone knows the basics of creating a Facebook page. You’ve selected your username, added a visually appealing cover photo, and uploaded your profile picture — now what? Some of the easiest and quickest ways to drive results on your page, especially through mobile, are new improvements to existing features you may not even be aware of.

In late 2016, Facebook enhanced their call-to-action buttons. Here are the two new ways to implement these enhancements so that your fans can connect with you directly:

• Integrate with your existing service providers, giving your fans the option to order food, book appointments, buy tickets, and see showtimes.
• Manage booking and inquiries through Messenger. With the options to get a quote, request a time, or shop now, a Messenger thread is automatically created between your business and that person.
  

2. Generate new sales through Facebook Live

With the launch of Facebook Live, video streaming has officially gone mainstream. If you have not yet embraced this feature, it’s not too late. Here are some excellent ways to use Live videos to improve your reach and generate sales:

• Identify your top FAQs and answer them in a weekly series. Include a call to action during the Live broadcast, so customers know how to reach you, order from you, or reach out with more questions.
• Tease new products by giving fans a sneak peek before the product is widely available. Social Media Examiner recommends, “providing a link during your video to take preorders and capitalize on the excitement from your customers.”

3. Leverage your current customers and target your competitor’s customers with Facebook ads

Over 85% of social marketers are using Facebook ads, so if you’re not using them, it is extremely likely that your competitors are. Facebook actually offers several ways to leverage a competitor’s presence to your advantage:

• Upload a customer email or phone number list to find those people on Facebook. Once you’ve created a Custom Audience, you can run a targeted ad campaign marketing a new product, offering an exclusive discount or getting people to register on your website, for example.
• To target your competitors’ fans on Facebook, browse for them by name in the Interests category when you are creating a target audience.

4. Build brand awareness by engaging on and with other Facebook pages

Not all of your Facebook marketing strategies should be limited to activities on your page.

• Use the "Search Facebook" box to find conversations about your industry or your brand name. View the “Latest” tab to see the most recent public posts. When you find a relevant post, like, or comment to build awareness with their fans.
• Within your own posts, tag brands and influencers — especially when you’re sharing their content. They will be notified that you’ve tagged them and often will share your post.

5. Use Facebook Messenger to connect and serve your customers

If you think that Messenger is just for conversations between friends and family you’re missing out on a powerful marketing and customer service tool. One billion messages are sent between people and Facebook Pages each month. Messenger offers a unique way to connect and serve your customers, and brands like Rogers Communications have seen a 66% decrease in response times coupled with a 72% increase in customer satisfaction metrics since integrating Messenger. Here are just four of the ways Facebook gives your brand to converse with people on Messenger:

• Leverage your existing resources and automate your replies with bots so you can reach more people.
• With structured templates, choose how text, photos, and CTAs appear so you can chat in the way that works best for you.
• Send timely, relevant reminders that keep people informed and keep you top of mind.
• Use artificial intelligence to identify what people are saying and create scalable, delightful experiences in an instant.

If this guide was helpful for you, you'll love reading our Social Media Pocket Guide for further insight into social media marketing.

Social media campaigns are only efficient if you can collect actionable customer and brand insights from them. While Facebook Analytics has shut down, Khoros’ social media marketing platform makes measuring your campaign performance easy. Marketers can use our highly-configurable platform to orchestrate social media campaigns and content across global teams, translate social media performance to the metrics that matter to their business, and be proactive about managing risk using real-time data. If you’re interested in learning more about our social media marketing solutions, schedule a free demo.