The growth of social networking is being led by more mature users,
but Facebook ads don't take the senior population into account.
Although social networking usage among the over-65 population is up 100
percent--more than three times the overall growth of social networking
as a whole--Facebook only lets ads be targeted for ages 64 and under.
Create an Ad"
link in Facebook. Enter a destination URL and a title for your ad, and
add in some body text, then click the Continue button. The next section
lets you target the ad for your audience, but the age demographics only
cover ages 13 through 64, or all of the above. There is no way to target
65 or older Facebook users.
Ignoring the over-65 demographic might be excusable if the recent Pew Internet and American Life Project
results were a revelation, but the popularity of Facebook among seniors
is actually old news. A Nielsen study in November of 2009 found that
Facebook had jumped from the number 45 most used site among seniors to
number three.
Not only are older users flocking to social networking sites like
Facebook and Twitter, but they are using them more actively. The
overview of the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey claims
"Among adults ages 65 and older, 13 percent log on to social networking
sites on a typical day, compared with just 4 percent who did so in
2009."
What's the big deal? A post on Inside Facebook about the Nielsen report
explains that this demographic is important because "this age group
comprises 13 percent of the population and tends to have both more
disposable income and leisure time than other demographics," adding "In
others words, they have more money to spend and more time to browse than
others. And given the rapid growth of Facebook use among this population, there's potential to cultivate this surging market."
That 13 percent figure from Nielsen doesn't account for the Baby Boomer
swell either. The oldest Baby Boomers are just starting to turn
65--leading a spike in the over 65 population that will last for a
couple decades.
Facebook should appreciate that its social networking service is
providing a forum for older users to connect with past coworkers and
childhood friends, as well as keep in touch with siblings, children and
grandchildren. But--for the sake of the businesses that have embraced Facebook to engage customers--Facebook also needs to recognize older users as the key marketing demographic they represent.