If you watch the news today you often hear “the poll of polls” in which they gather polling from many different sources, maybe even weigh them based on how they’re conducted, and give you an average number. When it comes to social media and age groups it’s like that, and everybody might have an interest in promoting a platform over another, so I have a, let’s call it “average of averages,” for social media use. One thing I found is that Gen Ys are much more visual than other generations, and if you want to reach them through social media then you need the platforms they prefer. While on the subject of Gen Ys being visual, think about your current marketing and branding; paragraphs of bio might bore them while a YouTube bio might interest them. Flat pictures of a home would bore them whereas a virtual tour could interest them.
My “averages of averages” for Gen Ys, which is 26 to 40 year olds, again shows how much this generation is visual. Look at the platforms they use:
YouTube 90%
Facebook 61%
Instagram 57%
SnapChat 55%
LinkedIn 40%
Pinterest 32%
Twitter 28%
The numbers listed above only tell you how many users in Gen Y are using these platforms, but where are they spending their time? Guess somebody smarter than me would need to come up with a mathematical equation to figure out your return on investment for using different platforms. I found this information also interesting, this list I had to do some conversion of visits and time-spend to come up with some sort of numbers to share with you. Disclaimer: I can’t really state these numbers as facts, only my opinion. Here is an average of time spent on the following social media platforms in a day for Gen Ys:
Instagram 53 minutes per day
SnapChat 50 minutes per day
Facebook 43 minutes per day
YouTube 40 minutes per day
Pinterest 14 minutes per day
Twitter 1 minute per day
LinkedIn 1 minute per day
In reading all the different studies and reports, a couple things stood out were that for every generation the use of Facebook was declining. Some say only about 60% of Gen Ys are now on Facebook compared to Gen X with 79%, which is 41 to 55 year olds. The other common point made by many is how many people are quitting permanently or take a break from social media. Gen Ys are quitting Facebook or taking a break in large numbers. Not just Gen Ys, but all groups, are starting to think about how much time they spend on social media. The four driving factors for slowing down or leaving social media is wasting time, the amount of negativity, privacy concerns and commercialization of the platforms.
To wrap this article up, we are looking at reaching Gen Y, 26 to 40 year olds, which will be first time homebuyers and will be active on the social media platforms they spend time on. Think visual platforms like Instagram, YouTube and SnapChat, and use eye catching photos and art; cut back on the words and leave negativity and ugly stuff off of your social media platforms! Do all of this and you might get a text or a call with, “Hey dude we want to see a house over on Elm street.” Good luck!
