There’s two big learning points from the latest Ipsos Iris UK social media data release… it’s good news for TikTok and really bad news for X, formerly Twitter.
The UK audience on the Elon Musk-owned app has collapsed by 17 per cent across 12-months.
For TikTok the landscape is far rosier with a 29 per cent increase.
In the public sector all this points to the pressing need to rethink your social media in 2024.
This may lead to dialling back in some areas and re-focusing and reskilling in others. This may feel daunting but like with any journey understanding the size of the task is paramount.
I’ll go through the data which has been commissioned by Ipsos Iris for UKOM which is the advertising industry’s body with the data also being used by Ofcom.
YouTube has deposed Facebook as the largest
One further surprise is that for the first time UK data puts YouTube with 45.5m users as the largest platform in the UK followed by Facebook on 45.1m. WhatsApp has pushed up to 3rd on 40.9m and Instagram 4th on 36.7m and
Elsewhere, X, formerly Twitter is 23.6m, TikTok on 23.5m, LinkedIn 18.4m, Pinterest 13.1m, Snapchat 11.7m and Nextdoor 8.1m.
Here’s what it all means for the public sector
Twitter, formerly X
This stands out most for public sector social media users. The platform has been a key part of content delivery since 2008. But with a 17 per cent decline in use that means its less important to people overall. The limit on the number of tweets anyone can see has limited its role on an emergency. It’s also suffering from a significant problem with defunct users making it a less attractive proposition.
Decline has been highest amongst 35 to 44-year-olds with a 19 per cent fall but the decline has been across the board,
However, it’s maybe time to dial back rather than to quit entirely.
TikTok
Start investing time with TikTok. The 27 per cent rise in 12 months is the largest by some distance. While the noise is with the video platform it’s worth remembering it still stands sixth on the list. But the pace of increase is well worth noting as is the 25 hours and eight minutes a month younger users spend monthly on the app.
It’s also worth noting that growth has been highest amongst older demographics. Leading the way has been over 55s with a 51 per cent increase with 35 to 44-year-olds increasing by 27 per cent and a 21 per cent rise for 45 to 54-year-olds,
YouTube
Funny how YouTube quietly hoovers up the audience without drawing too much attention to itself. The original video app has even more quietly become the UK’s largest platform. Content shared needs to have good metadata to really reach people but its powerful search engine means that it can still reach an audience.
There’s been a three per cent decline in UK audience but it remains the heaviest used for 35 to 45-year-olds at 15 hours 13 minutes. These can be decision makers in a household and have a greater chance of voting than younger people. For the public sector this all matters.
The platform is now the third most use platform with 40.9 million users in the UK. In previous years this has been classed as a social app by Ofcom. While now they show it as a messenger app its size demands attention. With the launch of WhatsApp Channels this behemoth is getting more attractive.
Snapchat
The public sector often overlooks this. Largely, because its used by younger people and in big numbers and we don’t get it. It’s in second place with under 34’s with 21 hours and seven minutes use a month. If you need to reach a younger audience in a space where they are comfortable this is a strong contender.
I know 18.4 million UK people use it but I can’t for the life of me find a compelling use for it for the public sector other than if there’s a wedding venue you’re looking to communicate I may doing it a disservice as there’s a big chunk of users.
Threads
It’s worth capturing some of the Threads data published by Ipsos Iris, too. Linked to Instagram and launched by Meta the channel drew 770,000 users at launch in the UK but he figure has flattened to 180,000 regular users. Keep an eye on it at this stage.
I run communications training through ESSENTIAL COMMS SKILLS BOOSTER and SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEWS to better assess how your channels are performing and which channels you need to focus on.