A breakdown of the way people use social media reveals many useful trends for business – but front and centre is the fact that women are the primary users.
According to data compiled by Finances Online and Ruby Media, women outnumber men as users in five out of six social media platforms; Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. LinkedIn is the only platform used more often by men.
Of particular note is the rapid rise of visual media as the fastest growing type of social media platform. Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest alone collectively gained 10 million new users in the last 12 months.
Tourism Australia is one example of a brand that has capitalised on the popularity of both Facebook and Instagram. With a self confessed desire to create the ‘world’s biggest social media team’ Tourism Australia is hitting its targets. It is now the most popular tourism destination page on the planet.
In growing their follows (563,628 followers on Instagram, and over 5 million on Facebook), Tourism Australia has capitalised on the desire of followers to get involved.
By example, instagrammers use the hashtag #SeeAustralia to have their shot seen by the Tourism Australia social media team. Each day, the best five or six shots are selected to go on its official account. Two years after launching, it has now grown its account to almost half a million photos of iconic Australian imagery.
The return on investment has been fruitful according to Managing Director Andrew McEvoy. The popularity of its social media presence has significantly enhanced the organisation’s marketing impact, with social media now deeply ingrained in all of Tourism Australia’s campaigns.
“Tourism Australia’s hugely popular Facebook page puts Australia and our incredible tourism offerings in front of a global audience of five million highly engaged people, who advocate our country on a daily basis sharing their photographs, experiences and dream Australian destinations,” McEvoy said.
“Social media has become a crucial ingredient to the success of our campaigns, evident in our Best Jobs in the World campaign that was driven largely by social media with 612,000 worldwide applicants. And it will be instrumental again when we launch our new Food and Wine campaign next year,” he added.
