How much time do you spend online?
According to a time use survey compiled by comScore Media Metric, the average American spends 33.9 hours on the Internet each week. Depending on age and other demographics, this number can double! And for those lucky people whose occupations are mostly computer-based: the Internet dominates their lives and they are never offline.
Computers have drastically changed the technological landscape. The Internet has facilitated efficiency in a number of offline processes. We use the web to communicate with our family, friends, and business acquaintances in real-time chat rooms. Books and other multimedia are available for online viewing and instant download. We can even buy gifts online, which are often offered at a greater discount than in physical stores! The internet has revolutionized the way we live as we now spend one sixth of our lives in the digital world.
Exhibit 1: 100 Most Visited Websites by Category, According to Google Ad Planner
Where are we really spending our time online?
Google has compiled a list of the 100 most visited websites in the United States. (Being the modest company that it is, Google chose to omit its website and statistics from the study.) These 100 websites fall into six categories: Social Networking, Search Engine, Shopping, Entertainment, Business, and Software.
The Internet can provide information instantly, so naturally search engines and other information-related websites, including the most popular category, sites ranging from web portals, such as Yahoo! and Bing, to encyclopedias and other how-to pages, like Wikipedia and eHow. Search engines closely track online shopping and other e-commerce websites (pages like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart), followed, in descending order, by the Entertainment, Social, Business, and Software categories.
Social networks are defined as any and all websites that are personal communities, professional networks, blogs, dating communities, deal-of-the-day websites, and other content-sharing sites. It is significant that social networks occupy the fourth largest category, as these websites have only gained popularity in recent years. In fact, two of the top three websites in the United States are “social” sites. The number one site, Facebook, is the largest social network in the world with more than 800 million loyal users. YouTube trails behind this social giant as the second most popular social network and third most popular website in the US.
What social sites do Americans frequent the most?
Americans have become completely absorbed into the infrastructure of social media. According to Nielsen, social networks have absorbed 22% of our total time online. The graph, “Total Social Media Reach,” reveals the percentage of Americans who are connected to the 15 most popular networks in the country. The most popular social network is Facebook, with a total national reach of more than 67%. Close behind is YouTube, with 54.7% of the population viewing, sharing and commenting on videos posted by others around the world. Less than half the population uses other social networks: networks like Twitter and LinkedIn, and blogging websites like Blogspot and WordPress.
Another subcategory of social networks has made it to the top-100. In the past year, the deal-of-the-day industry has boomed. There are dozens of competing websites, but the two that have generated the most traffic and taken over the most marketing so far are Living Social and Groupon. Consumers flock to these websites for deep discounts on a variety of products, services, and activities. Only 5% of the US population is connected to these sites. However, in another year the reach of these sites is projected to more than double as the popularity of these sites is accelerating at an enthusiastic rate.
Exhibit 2: Total US Social Reach, According to Google Ad Planner
What Americans are on social media?
Of the 310 million people in the United States, at least 210 million are active on social media. Who are these individuals? According to Google, the majority of users are women. Women are more active participants in social networks than their counterparts. Women are especially more active on deal-of-the-day social networks, where users often sign up for coupons. In fact, the only social network where men have a greater presence is LinkedIn, the largest professional network in the world. This may be related to the fact that men hold higher-level positions in the US labor force than women. Currently, out of the Fortune 500 companies in operation, there are only 16 female CEOs (as reported by USA Today). Even more shocking is that this is the largest number of women to have held this position at one time.
Exhibit 3: Social Media Usage by Gender in the US, According to Google Ad Planner
Regarding age, the correlation shows that younger people prefer more active social networks, while older people prefer networks where there is an emphasis on content retrieval. Seniors are more active on deal-of-the-day sites, which offer coupons and other group discounts for those who want to lead active lifestyles. On the other hand, the media preferred by the younger generations seem to be the networks in which regular and active participation is encouraged. Teenagers and children flock to social sharing sites like YouTube and Photobucket, an image hosting website. For young adults, blogs and other blog sites that facilitate commenting and sharing are most popular. In general, the group that has the greatest presence on social networks is that of adults. Most of the users of the 15 most visited social sites are between 35 and 54 years old.
Exhibit 4: Social media usage by age in the US, according to Google Ad Planner
How important is demographic data?
The Internet and the technologies that make the Internet more accessible to us have become heavily integrated into modern culture. Internet-enabled laptops, smartphones, tablets and mp3 players are consumed by all age groups. Internet users come to the web not only in search of information, but also to shop, communicate and consume multimedia. The increase in Internet consumption has led us to spend more time in the digital world and less time in the real world, one sixth less to be exact.
The media patterns of target audiences are changing. Marketers need to redevelop their marketing strategies to better influence target audiences and stimulate them to consume. The most successful advertisers are those who can reach their audiences through multiple channels. In modern America, this requires integrating an online marketing strategy.
Using the demographics of our ideal buyer persona, we can learn which websites our target audience frequents. These trending websites will prove to be the best online locations to advertise to these people. If the ideal buyer is a 35-year-old soccer mom, research shows that it would be helpful to advertise on the deal-of-the-day websites that women in this age group tend to frequent. Alternatively, if our ideal candidate is a business executive who works long hours for a prestigious law firm, LinkedIn ads would be the undisputed way to go.
Yet social media shows us that demographics matter. Using factors such as age, gender, and nationality, we can determine an online marketing strategy that will lead to effective advertising results. More targeted marketing leads to increased sales and a healthier business.
Sources
“U.S. Average Time Online Per Visitor in 2010.” ComScore’s data mine. January 13, 2011. Internet. November 8, 2011.
“Led by Facebook, Twitter, global time spent on social networking sites increased 82% year-over-year.” Web log publication. Nielsen Wire. The Nielsen Company, January 22. 2011. Internet. November 9, 2011.
Petreca, Laura. “Fortune 500 female CEOs hit record high” USATODAY.com. USA Today. To Gannett Company, October 26, 2011. Web. November 14, 2011.
“Social media/blogging now accounts for one in four and a half minutes online.” Web log publication. Nielsen Wire. The Nielsen Company, January 15. 2010. Internet. November 9, 2011.
“Top 100 Most Visited Sites: United States”. Double-click Ad Planner. Google, January. 2011. Internet. November 3, 2011.
“United States and World Population Clock”. Census Bureau home page. US Census Bureau, October 31, 2011. Web. November 9, 2011.
by Caitlin, or for more information about Modern Mail, visit our website at http://www.modernmail.com/.