Some interesting data from EDUCAUSE via eMarketer about social network usage amongst college students. EDUCAUSE compared social network usage at 44 colleges and universities in 2006, 2007 and 2008. It found that nearly twice as many students at these institutions use social networks every day in 2008 (59%) than did in 2006 (33%).
Social networks have become such a large part of students lives today, both in high school and in college. The EDUCAUSE data showed that the percentage of students who said they never use social networks has fallen from 25% in 2006 to 11% in 2008.
Interestingly the older the student the less often they use social networks. According to EDUCAUSE, 57.5% of students ages 18 and 19 use the sites at least 6 hours per week, compared with 38% of students ages 20 to 24.
It is not breaking news that social networks are a constant presence in the lives of students—a way to check in with friends, play games and plan events. They also provide an outlet for self-expression and sharing. Among students surveyed by Youth Trends, 79% said they used social media to catch up with friends and family. Females were more likely than males to have updated their profile in the past month, as well as to share photos or add applications to their profile page.
From a marketing standpoint the number that jumps out to me is amount of tine that college students are spending adding 3rd part apps to their profiles, especially female students.
Social network apps, especially Facebook ones, have really grown in popularity over the last 12-18 months. Since college students are not going to social networks to buy something, brands that have fun and interactive social media apps are the ones that are building brand awareness amongst college students.
So if this is your target audience, you need a cool app that girls will like.
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