Social media platforms have significantly evolved through the years. During their early stages, sites like Facebook and Twitter were mainly used to stay in touch with friends and family online. But with mainstream adoption, more people started to see commercial opportunities.
Fast forward to the present, social media sites have transformed into indispensable sales generation tools. As of 2020, there are around 3.6 billion social media users worldwide. And now that people are spending more time at home due to COVID-19, social media usage has skyrocketed further. Brands across different industries have made it a point to adopt social strategies to stay afloat.
If you want to gain a competitive edge, educating yourself on the latest social media trends will make it easier for you to use these platforms to your advantage. To help you start strong, we’ve prepared ten of the top social media statistics that will blow your mind.
Mind-Blowing Social Media Statistics
- The average person has 8.6 social media accounts in 2020, up from 4.8 in 2014. (Source: Backlinko)
People signing up for more social media platforms is a good sign for business owners. Having several accounts means that they’ll be spending a lot of time online, which gives you more conversion opportunities to capitalize on. Being available on multiple channels is highly recommended to strengthen your brand’s presence.
- Facebook is the social network with the most number of monthly active users at 2.7 billion. Wrapping up the top five are YouTube (2 billion), WhatsApp (2 billion), FB Messenger (1.3 billion), and WeChat (1.2 billion). (Source: Backlinko)
Since 2012 and still today , Facebook remains the top social networking platform when it comes to the number of users. If you don’t know which channel to start your social campaign on, Facebook would probably be the safest bet. As you study your audience over time, the data you’ve acquired will help you identify other channels that could also be effective for your brand.
- The number of internet users in the Philippines has increased by 4.2 million (+6.1%) between 2020 and 2021. (Source: Datareportal)
Filipinos have always been known for being active social media users. Studies show that the average Filipino spends around 4 hours and 15 minutes checking different social networks. Due to the restrictions brought about by COVID-19 and improved accessibility to the web, it’s expected that the Filipino social media space will continue to grow in the future.
- U.S. social media ad spending is expected to increase 21.3% to $49 billion in 2021. (Source: EMarketer)
Thanks to their unique targeting capabilities, social apps such as Instagram make it easy for business owners to reach the right people. Increased spending is a direct sign that these channels are producing results and progressively gaining traction among businesses. In 2021 and beyond, brands will likely allocate more of their marketing budget to social media.
- 98% of users access social networks through a mobile device (Source: Hootsuite)
While users can access social media platforms through different devices, it’s interesting to know that 98% exclusively access their accounts through smartphones and tablets. If you plan to link your website to your social profiles, optimizing for mobile is a must. Steering clear of 404 pages and slow loading times will further increase your chances of conversion.
- The average social media user spends around 2 hours and 25 minutes on social media daily. (Source: Hootsuite)
As previously mentioned, social media use has rapidly grown through the years. Given the amount of content found on one’s feed, it’s pretty easy for users to spend over 2 hours a day checking out different platforms—that means spending around 5.7 years browsing through social media over a lifetime! So, if you’re looking to maximize audience engagement, you can’t afford to neglect relevant social platforms.
- In terms of geographical location, East Asia hosts the most number of social media users. (Source: Oberlo)
Considering that this region is home to highly-populated countries such as China, it’s no surprise that East Asia makes up 13.7% (1 billion) of social media users worldwide. Right behind it is Southeast Asia, with a total user population of 482 million. Expanding your business in these regions could mean bigger opportunities for your brand.
- Consumers say that they will unfollow a brand on social media if they have poor product support (49%), poor customer service (49%), irrelevant content (45%), and too many ads (45%). (Source: Sprout Social)
In any of your social media accounts, keeping your followers happy is your number one priority. Besides following social media best practices, knowing the things that can aggravate your audience is just as important. Providing round-the-clock service and sharing timely messages and graphics will make all the difference in the customer’s experience.
- Marketers on LinkedIn claim that long posts (blogs with over 1900 words) perform best on the network. (Source: Sprout Social)
Unlike other social pages built for casual use, LinkedIn is designed as a professional networking site where users can connect with other business people to showcase their brand’s value. If you plan to share content on LinkedIn, you should know that long-form posts tend to drive the most engagement, likely because they place a higher importance on learning and practicality rather than entertainment.
- To make data-backed adjustments to their social campaigns, 81% of organizations use various analytics tools. (Source: Sprout Social)
Data serves as the lifeblood of any marketing campaign. Hastily applying a social strategy without gathering key metrics is no different from traveling without a map. Given that social ads have turned into a numbers game, more organizations have started to invest in social analytics tools to make sense of their data—and know what to do next.
Empower Your Brand Through Social Media
Social media may be ever-changing, but it’s here to stay. Thanks to the convenience these platforms provide to brands and consumers, they will continue to be relevant in the years to come.
If you’re planning to start or improve on your current social campaign, your best bet is to partner with an agency with an excellent track record. Take your online presence to the next level with Spiralytics, a social media marketing agency, and contact us today for tailor-fit social media marketing solutions.
