According to a Pew Research study, news consumption on social networks is growing across every age group under the age of 65(1).
Even though the highest growth is happening with young adults, the Baby Boomer generation is also consuming news on social media in growing numbers. Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and coauthor of the Pew Internet Survey, reports that "While seniors are testing the waters, many Baby Boomers are beginning to make a trip to the social media pool part of their daily routine."
While Baby Boomers may have the lowest growth in consuming news on social networks, they are adopting social networks as a communication channel at a rapid pace. The Pew survey found that the Baby Boomer generation is showing the highest growth in social network adoption, moving from 20% to 32% as a group in a single year(1). The same survey also found that 65% of adult internet users report using a social networking site such as Myspace, Facebook or Linkedin.
This is great news for social media marketers as Baby Boomers account for nearly half of all consumer goods spending and will control 70% of disposable income by 2018(2). Brent Green, a marketer specializing in targeting baby boomers, found that "Twitter is exploding in terms of growth and there are thousands of Baby Boomer oriented Twitter-ers."(2)
The fact is that no matter who your target audience is today, a large number of them will already be consuming news on social networks. This news audience is particularly valuable for brands that curate relevant news that these target personas will find interesting and engaging. This social news curation strategy is a great way to increase brand engagement and grow target audiences of any age on social networks.
Citations:
(1) Pew Research Center: Internet & American Life Project
(2) Vocus - Baby Boomer Marketing: Reaching the Most Valuable Generation
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