How confident are you with your social media strategy?
As social media started to gain importance and Search engine started relying more on your presences on social media to decide your authority and the authority of your website, social media statistics started to get more attention. Stats was everywhere on the internet and people were looking to figure out that one area that was little know and harness it.
Of the many articles that were getting read, this one article of some shocking social media statistics was one of the most read in 2013. A lot has changed since, but how much of these statistics has changed.
The below are some social media statistics as of 2015. You will notice that while not too much has changed, there definitely is a change in trend that we are observing.
The Fastest Growing Demographic on Twitter
Since the early 2012, Twitter saw a massive increment in the age-group of 55-64. This demographic saw an increase of almost 79% since 2012. The latest stats shows a similar trend and this demographic continues to be one of the fastest growing ones.
In 2013, about 14% of the internet users on Twitter were in the age-group of 50+, the number has gone upto almost 22% in late 2014. From an overall standpoint, while 21% of the users on Twitter were in this age-group, it has increased to about 27% in late 2014.
The same demographics went upto about 63% in late 2014 from a 46% in 2013. The increase in users of this age-group at Google + and Pinterest has also seen tremendous increase.
What this means to us: While the purchasing power of this age group might not be similar to that of the younger age group, you can find a lot of engagement from them. At the same time, targeted audience from this age-group has a better buying possibility that any others and hence it becomes extremely important that we plan our advertisement and content strategies according to that. Don’t ignore them!
Facebook “Mobile Only” Users
The “mobile only” Facebook users numbered about 189 million in 2013 which went up to about 526 million towards later part of 2014. That’s as increase of almost 278%. This accounts to about 30% of Facebook’s overall user base.
Not only has the mobile user base went up, Facebook ad-revenue share also went up. While it was about 30% in 2013, it had gone upto about 69% by the fourth quarter in 2014. That is another huge jump.
It is clear that the increase that we saw in that post that was published in 2013, has stayed on and has only increased further. This increase was significant at least in the mobile users category. With Facebook ads becoming the biggest source of marketing, this stats has become even more relevant.
What this means to us: Facebook mobile users are an important group and cannot be ignored. Hence, it is important that we plan our content strategy keeping mobile users in mind. If your content doesn’t display well on mobiles devices and other smaller screens, then you are losing out on a lot of viewers and consequently a lot of money.
The Age of Youtube has Dumped Televisions
The 2013 stats showed that Youtube reached more US adults aged 18-34 than any cable network and this stats has grown since. This age group also continues to be the ones using Youtube the most. About 82% of users aged 18-29 years used Youtube in 2014. With the number of hours people are watching on YouTube each month growing 50% year over year, YouTube is fast becoming another big source of advertising for marketers.
Animals, especially Cats were the most popular subjects to post videos online. About 45% of original online videos were about pets and animals.
Onto some figures that are sure to interest you. About 1 billion minutes were spent by YouTube users watching its top 10 ads in 2014. That’s huge exposure to your ads
What this means to us: YouTube has particularly been popular amongst youngsters. Having said that it is also important to know that 34% of the population in the age-group of 55+ being on YouTube is also not a small figure. All of this makes YouTube a marketer’s paradise. YouTube Advertising both Paid and FREE is something you would want to explore right away. YouTube ads today is at the same point as Adwords was about 5 years back. Make the most of it.
Pinterest and its Women Users
Women constitute the biggest user-base on Pinterest. The % of Women internet users using Pinterest went upto 42% om late 2014 from about 33% in 2013, the % of men using Pinterest have also gone up from 8% in 2013 to about 13% in 2014.
But what is most startling is the fact that women on Pinterest are 30% more likely to buy online than non-users. Add to it the fact that the average sales order value for visitors referred from Pinterest was about $58.95 and you have a user base that is waiting there to buy your product.
What this means to us: Pinterest is an yet to be harnessed source just as Instagram is, thanks to the many limitations it enforced on marketing and marketers. But with Pinterest launching the “Pinterest for Business”, the avenues have opened. You social media strategy has to have Pinterest as an integral part of it, else you are losing out on a lot of money.
Facebook and its Engagement
Facebook has the largest user base amongst all the Social Media sites but the growth has not been too significant over the last year or, so in comparison to the other social media sites. But the user engagement on Facebook is the most as compared to any other social media sites.
About 70% of Facebook users engage with the site daily and about 45% of that do so several times a day. This was a significant increase from 2013 where this number stood at about 63%. While Twitter went down by 10% to a 36% in 2014 as compared to 2013, Pinterest remained flat at 17% respectively.
What this means to us: If you are looking for a better bang for your buck when it comes to advertising, you need to be on Facebook. Facebook marketers who are running ads will find better engagement and exposure in comparison to other social media sites like Twitter.
2 New Members Joining LinkedIn Every Second
LinkedIn has about 332 million members worldwide and about 2 new users join every second. The impact of mobility can be seen in the significant increase in LinkedIn mobile users, which increased by more than 45% in just an year. There are about 42 million unique visitors per month on LinkedIn.
The average time that a user spends on LinkedIn is about 17 minutes per month which is significantly lesser than Facebook. But considering the fact that the platform sees a higher number of professionals, that is a good number in terms of engagement. Add to it the fact that 13% of LinkedIn users do not have a Facebook account and that should be enough reason to be on LinkedIn. Source
What this means to us: LinkedIn is a platform that is not been exploited a lot. Considering the fact that LinkedIn has a lot of professionals and hence an increased buying power, it is a good place to be in if you are into social media marketing. But one thing that you need to keep in mind is the fact that you may need to spend more time to build confidence in your audience and hence better your engagement.
Instagram is now bigger than Twitter
Instagram has grown more than 50% in the last nine months and hence is now bigger than Twitter. Instagram now has more than 300 million users worldwide in comparison to 284 million users on Twitter. Considering the fact that Instagram users have much more and better engagement than Twitter, it becomes one of the best sources to use in your social media marketing strategy.
About 57% of Instagram users access the site every day and the engagement rates 15 times greater than that of Facebook and 20 times greater than Twitter. Yet only 28% of marketers use Instagram. Source
Media and particularly visual media in the form of pictures tend to have better engagement. Studies show that visual appeal matters in 93% of cases when people decide on making a purchase. That should be enough reason to start off on Instagram.
What this means to us: Instagram has a lot of potential but very few know how to use it. But it makes sense to start off right away and test for yourself to know what works for you. The earlier you start, the better it will be.
Social Media Statistics and its Relevance
With more and more users taking to mobility, mobile phones are slowly overtaking desktop and laptop computers on usage. People prefer using their mobile phones to browse the internet and their favorite social media sites because they have the flexibility to do that on the move.
There is a lot of social media statistics that prove that mobile phone and tablets are soon becoming the preferred way to access these sites. And as social media marketing is taking to the centre-stage of all marketing campaigns, it becomes important that you design your social media campaign keep in mind these mobile phone users. Else you are leaving a lot of money on the table.