Welcome back to “Is That Still a Thing,” where we look at social networks and examine whether or not it’s worth investing our time and energy into growing an industry presence there. Today, we’re switching gears a bit and looking at the most popular social network out there — Facebook.

WHAT IS IT?

According to Wikipedia, Facebook is a global online social networking service that…you don’t really need me to tell you what Facebook is, do you? They’ve literally made movies about this.

Facebook is in the news on a weekly basis, so asking “Is this still a thing?” seems a little redundant. “It is still a thing.” Blog done! Are there any donuts left in the break room?

But that short answer isn’t fair, because Facebook has changed dramatically over the last 16 years. (Yes, you read that correctly. Facebook launched on February 4, 2004. It’s now old enough to drive.) So, let’s take some time to look at where the network is today.

WHO USES IT?

Facebook’s early adopters were college-aged students, but now those first users are circling 40, and the fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users isn’t teenagers — it’s the 65-and-over crowd.

Yes, when we talk about the Facebook crowd, we’re talking about Boomers, Gen Xers and elder Millennials—affluent, established and well-informed individuals.

In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by sproutsocial, 74% of Facebook users are high-income earners making $75,000 a year or more. That’s a bigger percentage than LinkedIn!

Here’s the rub, though: most of those people are on Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends—not companies and brands. In fact, less than 20% of Facebook’s users come to the site for brand news.

The good news? Twenty percent of 1.62 billion active daily users is still over 300 million people eager to interact with your brand per day.

SHOULD YOU USE IT?

Short answer: Yes. Blog done! Treat yourself to a second donut.

Long answer: Yes, because even if the majority of Facebook’s user base isn’t there for the content you’re creating, the site has still become the new Yellow Pages. People rely on your company’s Facebook Page to learn everything from your hours of operation, to your location and phone number, not to mention reviews.

Just like Google or Yelp, people will rate your company or brand on Facebook, and if you don’t have a presence on the site, you won’t be able to influence or respond to that feedback.

At the absolute bare minimum, we would suggest posting to Facebook once a week. Facebook’s highest traffic times are mid-day Wednesday and Thursday, so be sure to post at that time for the most bang for your buck.

If you want to up your game, though, and post more often, we have some other blogs that can help:

• How to Create (and Automate) a Social Content Calendar
• How to Engage Your Community
• How to Generate Content

Let us know what you think! Continue the conversation on SanMar’s social media accounts. You can find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and yes, Facebook.