Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. They conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. They do not take policy positions.
Look at the tabs across the website banner and click on Topics. There you might select Generation X, Generation Y, Millennials, Baby Boomers, Social Media, Digital Media or other related topics. You may also use their search box and type in key words. In the first row of tabs, you might select Hispanics or Social Trends to learn more about your target audiences.
Social Media Platforms
Research which platforms to recommend to your client:
Below are some suggested databases and resources to select social media platforms that best match the target audience data for your client. Remember that social media is constantly changing, so you will want to find the most recent information available to justify your selections for your client.
Statista
Use the Social Media button beneath the search box on the interface, or search for individual platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. to see user information and match to your target audience data.
Examples:
- Social Media Usage in the United States
- Millennials in the U.S.: Media & Marketing
- Share of internet users in the United States who use selected social media platforms as of February, 2021
Look up major social media platforms:
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista is one of the leading statistics companies on the internet. With a team of over 200 statisticians, database experts, analysts, and editors, Statista provides users with an innovative and intuitive tool for researching quantitative data, statistics and related information.
eMarketerPro
Look up individual social media platform by name
- Limiters in the left margin to narrow/focus your results
- Select Forecasts in left margin under Content Type, usually by country, so select for example: TikTok, US. (This gives projections for the next 4-5 years for users, revenues, etc.) You may then select further limiters such as Age, Generation or Gender.
- You may limit to Article or Report, click on them and read the intro or the table of contents for relevant information.
Example: TIKTOK
- eMarketer.PRO This link opens in a new windoweMarketer provides access to market data, reports and analysis, company information, and more.
RKMA
Click on the link below and scroll down to the Table of Contents, select appropriate sections, noting page number; scroll down to that page.
- RKMA Market Research Handbooks This link opens in a new windowShapiro Library subscribes to a number of consumer behavior and marketing research handbooks in sports, leisure, entertainment and travel.
Sample source from RKMA
Scroll through the extensive table of contents to utilize the information you need to support your recommendation for particular social media for select populations as target audiences for your client.
Social Media Management Tools
There are a variety of social media management tools to allow your small start-ups and non-profits to manage their social media accounts with minimal resources. These tools offer a variety of plans from free to low-cost to pricy.
Later
Later is a social media scheduling and marketing platform available on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Their features focus on visual scheduling, media management, marketing and analytics. Free accounts are available as well as paid accounts that include more services and options. They also offer a 50% discount for non-profit organizations for their professional accounts.
Check out these helpful resources for using Later:
- How to Use Later to Manage Social Media Accounts (Video Tutorial)
- Later Help Center
- Later Non-Profit Program Application
Hootsuite
Hootsuite, the social media management platform is used by nonprofits, education and business all over the world. They also publish relevant reports.
Check out these helpful publications from Hootsuite:
- How to Use Hootsuite | An Overview of the Hootsuite Dashboard (Video Tutorial)
- How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy in 8 Easy Steps
- Six Ways to Calculate Engagement Rate
Buffer
Buffer consists of a distributed team of 85 people living and working in 15 countries around the world working to build the best products to help customers build their brands and grow their businesses on social media. Buffer grew from humble beginnings to serve more than 73,000 customers.
Check out these helpful resources for using Buffer: