Looking at the ‘Life Stages’ of Social Media Influencers

According to a March 2010 white paper from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting, demographic variables do not reveal the key differences in word-of-mouth behavior between influencers—individuals most likely to talk to their friends and social network about a product or brand—and average users. Instead, one major factor is life stage.

The paper, “The Influencer: A Consumer Voice with Legs” notes, for example, that new mothers might become influencers in the baby category, or recent homebuyers might use the knowledge they’ve gained in their own purchase process to advise friends and family looking for a new house.

Social media marketers are eager to target those influencers and promote their word-of-mouth activities on the social Web for maximum earned media exposure. To that end, a report from E-Poll, the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California and the Hallmark Channel, indicates that life stages also play an important role in new media attitudes and usage.

For example, teens and college students exhibit similar social networking behavior despite a relatively large difference in median age. The same goes for those with established families and empty nesters.

“New nesters”—including those new moms eager to talk about the best baby products—were much more likely to visit social networks every day than their more established counterparts.