One of the most commonly asked questions we get whenever suggesting Facebook to a Client is, “Isn’t that something used just by people who are in or recently graduated from college?”

Not anymore according to Inside Facebook, an independent blog site which tracks Facebook trends for both developers and marketers. According to user data released on July 6, 2009, the number of adults ages 35 to 65 logging onto Facebook is growing in record numbers.

Below are a few highlights:

• 30 percent of U.S. Facebook users are between the ages of 35- 54. That’s more than 20 million men and women you could reach in this age demographic.
• The number of U.S. Facebook users ages 45-54 has more than tripled in the last six months to a record 7.7 million active users.
• In the 30 days prior to this data being released, the number of U.S. Facebook users that are over 35 years old grew by nearly 1.5 million in each of these age categories: 34-44, 45-54 and 55-65. This is a trend many expect to continue to see.

The numbers don’t lie. Social networking sites are no longer just about keeping up with friends and family. People are using Facebook to search for jobs, get recommendations for vacations and products and even to foster cross-generational communication with children and grandchildren.

The reality is that if you are targeting Gen Xers and/or Baby Boomers, Facebook is becoming more and more of a viable communications tool for your marketing communications mix. Are you ready? Contact us.