In today’s digital age, it feels like everyone I know is on social media. But not everyone is on every channel.

As guidance to other digital marketers, it’s important to know the exact social channels your audience is using. For example, if you are a fast-fashion retailer with a Gen-Z audience, you want to look at marketing on TikTok.

Based on statistics recently run by Hubspot, today I’ll take a look at the channels that are thriving, & dying this year. Read on to learn more. 

The Social Media Channels Thriving in 2022

Facebook

On average, Facebook currently pulls in 2.89 billion monthly users, which is more than any other global social platform. A high amount of this audience figures belongs to Gen X-ers, Baby Boomers and Millennials.

Over the last three months, 91% of Baby Boomers, 88% of Millenials and 83% of Gen X-ers have interacted and engaged with the app & they’ve advised that Facebook is their favourite social media app, and also their most visited. Therefore, if you’re looking to target an older demographic, Facebook is your golden platform. 

However, it’s been identified that within Gen Z audiences, engagement drops quite significantly. Only 12% of Gen Z-ers acknowledge that they use Facebook more than any other social platform, & across the last three months, only 55% have visited the app itself. 

TikTok

It’ll come as no surprise that TikTok is known as the Gen Z platform – and this is solidified in the data. Over half of Gen Z consumers are active on TikTok, and it’s known that this is their most used platform ahead of Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. 

But, TikTok is also picking up an older generation audience, with 36% of 2021 TikTok users being between the ages of 35 and 54. This is up by 10% from the previous year. But, the level of baby boomers engaging with the beloved app only sits at 7%.

I must also note that TikTok, out of all the other platforms, has the highest engagement rate with the average user session being 10.85 minutes. Overall, TikTok is your go-to app should you have a varied audience.

YouTube

Through the findings of SimilarWeb, it’s been identified that YouTube has a user base of 2 billion+ and pulls in 34 billion monthly visits.

It’s popular across the board with Gen Z and X audiences, as well as those millennials. Over the last three months, YouTube has been visited by 83% of millennials, 81% of Gen Z and 79% of Gen X. Whilst, Baby Boomers acknowledged that YouTube is their second loved social media app, just slightly behind Facebook.

Alongside generic consumers, YouTube is also beloved by video marketers, with more beginning to invest in YouTube over the years. They also rank it as the second-best platform to increase ROI.

Instagram

Finally, with over 78 million monthly active users, we have Instagram. One of the most popular apps of today’s generation.

Surprisingly, whilst Gen Z-ers note TikTok as their most visited app, they class Instagram as their favourite – similarly to Millennials.

The app continues to pull in an older audience too. In recent times, up to 55% of Gen X-ers have visited the Instagram platform, followed by 27% of Baby Boomers. But, if you’re looking to target these specific audiences, I’d advise that Facebook or YouTube are a better fit for you. 

When it comes to marketing, more than half of those video marketers rate the platform as the best for increasing ROI, lead generation and engagement. Therefore, if you’re looking to shift towards video marketing, Instagram is a great option to consider. 

The Social Media Channels Dying in 2022

Tumblr

After its great popularity in the mid-2000s, Tumblr just can’t seem to bounce back after many near-revivals and numerous acquisitions. According to the statistics, & whilst Tumblr is popular with Millennials, only 11% of these have visited it in the last three months.

Surprisingly, this was closely followed by Gen Z’s (10%) & when breaking it down further it was found by Quartz that 61% of 2022’s new Tumblr users were under the age of 24. So, does this mean a new revival is heading our way?

Anyway, it’s still too early to call this, so for now I suggest focusing on those platforms that have stronger audience retention.

In summary,

A single question remains unanswered: what are the best social media channels for your marketing? Should you remain with golden oldies, like Facebook and YouTube, or shift towards new platforms, such as TikTok?

Overall, your decision should be based on one single factor: your target audience. You want to put your audience at the forefront of your social media strategy, and this includes prioritising those platforms that will reach them in the best possible way.

Finally, remember that social media marketing is all based on being experimental. Dip your toes into a wide variety to see what results you receive and what works best for your business. 

To discover how I can help support your social media campaigns, reach out to me today.

Thanks for reading,

Myk Baxter, eCommerce Consultant