In today’s tech-savvy world, social media has become a part of most people’s daily lives. Given the fact that over 40% of the world population uses social media, it has become imperative for businesses to establish a strong presence on these platforms. However, as most marketers and businesses across the globe flock to these platforms, the competition has become stiff.
To help you better understand each social media, we have gathered some of the latest and most important stats and trends surrounding each platform.
In this blog, we will discuss some of the most used social media platforms that can and should be used by your business. But first, let’s look at some in the infographic below.
Want to skip the infographic and get right to reading? Follow one of the links below to jump right to the social media stats you’re looking for:
- YouTube
For the full list of our sources follow this link: https://mymarketing.io/sources/
With approximately 2.45 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most used social media platform. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in California, this social media giant provides business with an opportunity to connect with virtually all consumer segments.
Industries of all types use Facebook to engage with customers and improve brand metrics. While most businesses use free organic content posts, Facebook also allows companies to reach their audience through paid advertising.
Facebook is a social media platform for all. Its easy interface and navigation make the platform popular among different demographics. It is used slightly more by women than it is by men, with 63% of men and 75% of women using the platform in the US. As for the average age group, social media is predominantly used by those aged 25 to 30 for which 84% of this age group uses the platform, and used the least by those aged 65+ for which 46% of this age group uses the platform.
Facebook Stats
Usage stats
Before using a platform as a marketing tool it is important to study its popularity and usage. Today when more than 74% of internet users check their Facebook feeds daily, it is undoubtedly an effective medium to reach their target audience. According to statistical data, the average time spent on Facebook each time a user visits the platform is 11 minutes. These facts make this social networking platform a strong channel to engage with prospects and improve brand recognition.
Consumer Stats
There are consumers for virtually every industry on Facebook. Consequently, the time users spend on Facebook can have a big impact on their purchase decision. As statistics show, 58% of people say that they become more interested in a brand after seeing it in Facebook stories.
Business Stats
Today, more than 50 million businesses use Facebook Pages to connect with their customers. Thus, to stay ahead of the competition and remain profitable, it is vital to have an account on Facebook. Currently, over 93% of social media advertisers use Facebook ads on a regular basis.
Another social media platform that is in trend is Instagram. Owned by Facebook, the platform is known for its eye-catching visuals and space for creativity. Businesses that prioritize visual-based content or influencer marketing are likely to rank Instagram as their most important social media channel.
The platform allows businesses to post pictures, series of pictures, up to 1-minute videos and more. There are also more advanced features such as IGTV or paid advertisements that businesses can take advantage of.
With over a billion active users, Instagram is used by both genders and is ruled by the younger generations. In the US, it is used by 43% of women, as opposed to 31% for men, and is used by 75% of those aged between 18-24 as opposed to 8% by those aged 65+.
Instagram Stats
Usage Stats
As seen above, Instagram is a very popular social media platform amongst the young generations. Users have an average session length of 28 minutes and around 63% of them log in to the channel at least once per day. This makes Instagram one of the platforms that users spend the most time on during each login.
Consumer Stats
To reach your target audience, it is crucial to be present in the areas your target audience is most active. For many businesses, a presence on Instagram can be a great way to communicate with their prospective and current customers. With around 200 million users visiting at least one business profile a day Instagram can be a great way to communicate with your audience.
Business Stats
Being one of the favourite social media platforms by so many consumers, Instagram has also become the preferred platform for many marketers. This made clear since the average businesses post 1.7 times per day on Instagram.
LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, is a social media channel that allows business professionals to interact digitally. The platform provides businesses with a way to recruit candidates, engage with fellow businesses, connect with professionals and much more.
Many marketers consider LinkedIn to be a powerful marketing platform. It allows businesses to post content, pictures, videos, links, advertisements to interact with their network and their target audience. By doing so, businesses can find partnerships, clients, employees and many other business opportunities.
LinkedIn sees usage from many age groups and relatively equal usage from each gender. The highest usage comes from those aged 25 to 49 and the lowest usage comes from those aged 65+. The relative usage for each of these age groups in the US is 44% and 11% respectively.
LinkedIn Stats
Usage Stats
This professional social media platform has a user base that is different from all other social media. According to studies, around 90 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers and 63 million are in decision-making positions. That said, it has a relatively lower daily usage percentage of 40%.
Consumer Stats
According to statistical research, around 52% of respondents reported LinkedIn to be one of the most influential platforms that impact the buying decision of consumers. This simple statistic shows that marketers should prioritize LinkedIn as a marketing channel.
Business Stats
As many people know, LinkedIn is the king of business-to-business marketing. As statistics show, approximately 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. It is a very powerful social media platform for lead generation and thus, around 94% of B2B marketers use it for content marketing.
YouTube
With the rise of video content watching, YouTube has become one of the most common social media platforms. Owned by Google’s parent company, YouTube is a social media channel that uses video sharing for users to watch unlimited free videos worldwide.
Businesses can take advantage of YouTube by posting promotional videos, live videos, influencer content, paid ads or much more. YouTube videos allow you to post limitless types of videos. Whether animated videos, how-to videos or live videos are best for your business, YouTube allows you to easily publish each of these.
YouTube is a versatile platform that is available in over 100 countries and in more than 80 languages. According to data, people of all ages use YouTube in the US but its predominant segment is young men. 78% of men use YouTube, as opposed to only 68% of women, and 90% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 93% of 25-30 years olds use YouTube.
YouTube Stats
Usage Stats
YouTube is yet another social platform with a huge user base. Its high usage has made it the second largest search engine worldwide, right after Google. An average user spends around 23 minutes a day on YouTube and approximately 44% of these users use the platform daily.
Consumer Stats
Just like any other social media, YouTube has a strong impact on consumer purchases. 90% of users said that they learned about a new brand on YouTube and 68% say that they’ve watched YouTube videos to help make a purchase decision.
Business Stats
In today’s competitive era, many businesses have started creating video content to engage with their audience. To be more precise, 62% of businesses post videos on their YouTube channel to interact with their customers. Due to YouTube’s domination in the video-sharing industry, 78% of marketers say that YouTube is the most effective video marketing platform. Not sure where to start producing videos? Look at this previous blog that explains some ways you can showcase your product, service or brand through video format.
In today’s fast-paced world, when short content is in great demand, Twitter has become a widely used platform for businesses. With over 330 million active users every month, Twitter users worldwide follow each other, share content, post content and join various conversations.
Businesses on Twitter can use the platform by posting videos, images, tweets, retweeting, posting links and much more. Despite the low character limit of 280 per tweet, businesses can still succeed at providing valuable and concise information to their target audience.
Twitter sees a disparity in terms of age group usage. Similarly to Instagram, the higher the age group, the fewer the usage. In the case of Twitter, only about 7% of those 65+ use Twitter as opposed to approximately 44% of 18-24-year-olds. As for usage by gender, 24% of men and 21% of women use Twitter.
Twitter Stats
Usage Stats
Twitter sees a relatively lower time of use and daily usage than other social media platforms. However, it still has a very high daily usage of over 145 million users and a strong average session length of 10 minutes.
Consumer Stats
Now let’s take a look at consumer data. Approximately one-third of Twitter users follow a brand on the platform. More than half of users also say they bought a product they first saw on Twitter. This makes Twitter a very favourable social media platform for B2C businesses.
Business Stats
To stay ahead of the competition, businesses must, of course, provide excellent customer service. Twitter has allowed companies around the globe to do just this. Around 85% of small and medium businesses use Twitter to provide customer service. A large number of these companies have successfully satisfied their customers with this initiative.
Social Media Stats and Trends: Final Words
All in all, social media is a storehouse of immense potential and growth for businesses. If a company learns how to harness the power of various platforms, it can emerge to be a popular and reputable brand in the eyes of the target audience. By knowing the stats and characteristics that surround each social media channel, businesses will be in a better position to effectively target their audience and drive marketing results. With the ability to use social media to its full potential, your company is sure to see some positive results.
Curious to learn more about social media marketing? Click here for more information about social media marketing!
