Move over Facebook, there’s a new social regime sweeping the web. A recent poll from Pew Research Report revealed that for the first time ever, Facebook has been dethroned as the most popular social network among U.S. teens. In fact, Facebook didn’t even rank in the top 3! So what does this mean for you as a creator? Keep reading to learn how you can shift your social strategy to adapt and take advantage of this new trend.

Facebook Decline: A Deeper Look Into The Numbers

For a long time, Facebook has dominated the social landscape however now, teens ages 13 to 17 are reshaping what platforms reign supreme. In a survey completed by Pew Research Center last month, American teens experienced a shift in social use and now favor Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube over Facebook as their preferred platform. To break down these numbers even further:

• 85% of teens say they use YouTube daily.
• 72% of teens say they use Instagram daily.
• 69% of teens say they use Snapchat daily.
• 51% of teens say they use Facebook daily.

What’s more surprising is that only 10% of the teens that participated in the survey said they use Facebook as their main social network. This is a sharp contrast from the previous Pew poll that was completed in 2015 where 71% of American teens claimed they used Facebook more than any other social platform.

So what could be causing this major shift in social media use? The Pew Research Report also uncovered that smartphone use has drastically intensified over the past three years. Ninety-five percent of teens today own a smartphone (that’s a 25% increase since 2015). Additionally, the total amount of time teens are spending on social media increased from 90 minutes in 2012 to 135 minutes in 2017.

Facebook Decline: What This Means for Your Content Strategy

The rise in popularity of YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram among younger demographics suggests that teens prefer more visually-driven content (which is great news for content creators!). In order to make the most of this growing trend, you must:

• Know your audience– Facebook may be declining among teens, however, it still has its stronghold over older audiences. Before you make any changes to your social strategy, it is imperative to understand who and where your audience is and what social networks they prefer the most. Many top social platforms are equipped with demographic analytics that will outline how old your current audience is. Once you have this information, you can determine what platform you should be posting a majority of your content on.
• Research network nuances– Now that you know where your audience is, it is equally as important to understand how to effectively leverage each social platform. What works on Instagram may not necessarily work on YouTube. For example, effective video lengths are drastically different on each network so take the time to learn more.
• Keep it visual– Video content is king, regardless of which platform you decide to post to. In fact, 1/3 of all online activity is spent watching video. Make sure you are regularly incorporating video content throughout your social strategy across all platforms.

Social media trends are always changing, and so should your social media strategy! To stay ahead of the curve and keep those social skills sharp, make sure you check back next week for more tips and tricks!