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Since entering our lives in the early 2000s, social media has changed everything regarding marketing.
With so many people using social media, from the youngest to oldest generations and everyone in between, it is more crucial than ever for businesses to integrate it into marketing strategies to reach their target audiences.
However, an effective social media marketing strategy should always start with statistics.
As marketers, we know that brand success is directly linked with numbers, so we should always use legitimate sources to back up our social media initiatives.
Beyond using social media statistics for marketing to shape your online presence in 2023, they can also help you discover new prospects and increase business performance.
This is why we’ve put together these essential social media marketing stats every marketer should be aware of in 2023.
Read on to find out how to enhance your social media presence in 2023 with the help of data!
How popular is social media compared to internet usage globally?
Let’s start with the basics.
As a marketer, you already know that social media is widely used by the global population, but if you want to level up your game, you have to dig deeper.
Below are some of the most interesting global marketing statistics for social media that highlight its popularity:
- 4.74 billion people use social media worldwide, as of October 2022, which represents 59.3% of the total global population. (Datareportal)
- Over the past year, there’s been a growth of over 4% in the global usage of social media. (Datareportal)
- Between October 2021 and October 2022, 190 million new users joined social media, which translates to an increase of more than 500,000 members every day. (Datareportal)
- The number of social media users is expected to grow exponentially in the next five years, reaching 5.85 billion in 2027. (Statista)
- People spend on average 6 hours and 58 minutes daily on the internet, out of which 2 hours and 27 minutes are spent on social media. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The average social media user visits 7.5 different social platforms on average each month. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- Globally 46.1% of social media users are female, and 53.9% are male. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The most active social media users are those between the ages of 20 and 29. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- Northern and Western Europe are the regions of the world where social media use is most prevalent. These localities have saturation rates of 85% and 84%, respectively. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
Image source: DataReportal
Social media usage by device
A few years ago, desktops were the main device for accessing the internet. However, times have changed.
While most social media users still own at least one desktop device for work, school, or video games, marketing statistics show that smartphones are the main device for getting online in developing countries.
This statistic is crucial when outlining your social media strategy for next year, as content must be primarily suitable for mobile.
Let’s have a look at the most fascinating social media usage statistics by device:
- DataReportal reported 5.22 billion distinct mobile users in January 2021, or 66.6% of the world’s population.
- 80% of all users’ time on social media is spent on mobile devices, including both smartphones and tablets. (SmartInsights)
- 30.6% of people around the world make online purchases on their mobile devices. (Hootsuite)
- 58.27% of individuals access the internet through a mobile device, whereas just 39.72% use desktop computers to access the internet, leaving 2.74% using tablets. (Statcounter)
- Predictions suggest that 72% of all internet users will access the web solely via smartphones by 2025. (BankMyCell)
- Despite mobile prevalence, 75% of internet users between the ages of 16 and 64 still use laptops and desktop computers to access the internet. (DataReportal)
Image source: Comscore
How do social media users engage with content?
In the world of social media, visual content is king.
Beyond images, video content has increased massively in popularity in recent years, and the technology of creating videos is simpler than ever.
The following social media marketing stats show that video content hasn’t lost its appeal; on the contrary, it is more likely to be shared on social media.
The data also reveals that social media platforms don’t always retain video marketing content. Instead, the influence of content producers frequently goes well beyond their primary media.
- Visual formats are 40x more likely to be shared on social media than other sorts of material. (Buffer)
- You can increase your engagement rate by 79% on Instagram posts by tagging the location. (SocialPilot)
- Your landing page’s conversion rate can rise by 80% if you include a product video. Videos might also result in more sales. 74% of people who viewed an explanatory video about a product/service purchased it. (Dreamgrow)
- 42.7% of global internet users use ad blockers while on social networks. (Backlinko)
- Social media videos brought in a new consumer for 93% of brands. (Animoto)
- Although shorter movies tend to be more popular overall, younger viewers prefer lengthier ones. (GWI Report)
Image source: GWI
Social media user relationships with brands
Social media marketing has become one of the most used channels in the digital world.
Nowadays, people use social media to keep in touch with friends and family, fill their spare time, read news stories and find content, but also to do research before buying a product or service, according to the Digital 2022 Global Overview Report.
This is one of the many reasons why businesses that don’t have a social media presence are missing out on opportunities to build a solid brand image.
Besides, social media has the advantage of putting your brand in front of other audiences (especially younger ones) that other marketing channels might lack.
If you’re not convinced yet, listed below are the most popular statistics, showing the relationship between social media users and brands:
- 76.1% of global social media users said they use social media platforms for brand research, while 43.5% use social networks for the same reason. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- 54% of internet browsers use social media to research products. (GWI’s flagship report on the latest trends in social media)
- 49% of consumers say they rely on recommendations from social media influencers to make shopping decisions. (Digital Marketing Institute)
- 71% of customers are likely to tell their friends and family about a brand after having a positive encounter with it on social media. (Oberlo)
- Nearly 40% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 have purchased a product through social media. (Semrush)
- Every month, 1 in 4 customers watch a brand’s video. (GWI Report)
Image source: DataReportal
Interesting channel-focused social media marketing statistics
While having an overview of the whole social media industry is mandatory for marketers, the best ones differentiate themselves by adapting their strategy according to each channel’s specifics.
What works best on Facebook might underperform on Twitter, and so on.
Each platform’s algorithm plays by different rules, and we, as digital marketers, should always try to stay ahead of the game by running tests, adopting trends and tailoring our content.
Continue reading to discover relevant channel-focused social media marketing statistics that will come in handy for any comprehensive strategy.
Facebook marketing stats
- Facebook is the most used social media platform globally, with 2,910 million active users. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The top three reasons for using Facebook are to message friends/family, post/share photos/videos and keep up-to-date with news/the world. (GWI Report)
- On average, users spend 19.6 hours per month on Facebook globally. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- 36.8% of the total world population actively use Facebook each month. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The average Facebook post engagements (reactions, comments and shares) vs. page fans for all post types is 0.07%. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- 7 out of 10 Facebook users in the United States visit the app at least once per day. (Pew Research Center)
- 1.8 billion people use Facebook groups monthly. (Facebook)
- By 2027, the number of Facebook users is expected to reach 260 million in the United States. (Statista)
Image source: Statista
Instagram marketing stats
- Instagram is the fourth most used social media platform globally, with 1,478 million active users. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- Instagram is the second most favored social media platform globally as chosen by 14.8% of internet users aged 16 to 64. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The top three reasons for using Instagram are to post/share photos/videos, find funny/entertaining content and message friends/family. (GWI Report)
- On average, users spend 11.2 hours per month on Instagram globally. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- 68% of Instagram users say they interact with brands regularly. (ecommerceCEO)
- The average Instagram engagement rate for all post types published by business accounts is 1.94%. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- Instagram carousel posts have the highest reach rates. They also increase the median number of likes per post on Instagram, regardless of the account’s size. (Socialinsider)
- In 2021, Instagram influencer engagement decreased, however it increased from 2019. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- The most used Instagram hashtags are #love, #Instagood, #fashion, #photooftheday, and #art.
Image source: Socialinsider
The most popular Instagram accounts based on number of followers are:
- Christiano Ronaldo
- Kylie Jenner
- Lionel Messi
- Ariana Grande
Twitter marketing stats
- On average, users spend 5.1 hours per month on Twitter globally. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The total potential reach of ads on Twitter is 436.4 million. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- The average Twitter user posts only 2 tweets per month, but 10% of users who are the most active in terms of volume, tweet 138 times every month. (Pew Research)
- The top three reasons for using Twitter are to keep up-to-date with news/the world, find funny/entertaining content, and follow/find information about products and brands. (GWI Report)
- The top 10% of most active tweeters are generally women and focus more on politics.(Pew Research)
Image source: Statista
The most popular Twitter accounts based on number of followers are:
- Barack Obama
- Justin Bieber
- Katy Perry
- Rihanna
- Cristiano Ronaldo
LinkedIn marketing stats
- LinkedIn has more than 875 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. (LinkedIn)
- The top three reasons for using LinkedIn are to keep up-to-date with news/the world, follow/find information about products and brands, and post/share photos/videos. (GWI Report)
- The total potential reach of ads on LinkedIn is 808.4 million. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- LinkedIn’s average page reach rate is 3.49%, with small accounts reaching more of their audience – up to 6.17%. (Socialinsider)
- Depending on the account size, native documents have an average CTR between 3.5% and 8.6%, whereas all other types of posts hardly exceed 2%. (Socialinsider)
- 87 million of the nearly 2 billion millennials on the planet use LinkedIn. (AdWeek)
- Users who include a photo receive up to 21 times more profile views and up to 36 times more messages. (Inc)
The most followed LinkedIn brands based on number of followers are:
- Amazon
- Ted Conferences
- Forbes
The most followed LinkedIn individual accounts based on number of followers are:
- Bill Gates
- Richard Branson
- Jeff Weiner
- Arianna Huffington
- Satya Nadella
TikTok marketing stats
- TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform the internet has ever known, with a whopping 105% user growth rate in the United States over the past two years. (InsiderIntelligence)
- On average, users spend 19.6 hours per month on TikTok globally. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- In the U.K, people spend on average 27.3 hours per month on TikTok. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- TikTok’s average engagement rate by video views is 6.72%, while the average watch rate is 16.23%. (Socialinsider)
- On average, TikTok accounts post 20 videos per month on the platform. (Socialinsider)
The most popular TikTok accounts based on number of followers are:
- Charli D’Amelio
- Khabane Lame
- Bella Poarch
- Addison Rae
- Zach King
Image source: DataReportal
More social media-related stats
More and more businesses nowadays have understood the colossal value of social media marketing and the vast opportunities that arise from cultivating a strong social media presence.
Even small businesses are working to quickly establish a social media presence in an effort to elevate brand recognition and raise the typical engagement rate of their posts.
Influencer marketing, messenger marketing and account-based marketing are just three types of social media marketing that can give a boost to any brand.
Influencer marketing stats
- 68% of marketing organizations collaborate with social media influencers. (Hubspot)
- 22.6% of internet users aged 16 to 64 follow influencers and experts on social media. (Digital 2022 Global Overview Report)
- Influencer marketing increased in value to $16.4 billion in 2022. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- Software platforms that specifically targeted influencer marketing raised over $800 million in 2021. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- According to Hubspot’s 2021 survey, 67% of marketers work with micro-influencers with 10K–100K subscribers/followers. In contrast, just 29% of marketers claim to work with mega influencers who have more than 1 million followers.
Image source: Influencer Marketing Hub
Messenger marketing stats
- The most widely used messaging platforms worldwide are WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Although Facebook Messenger dominates the North American market, WhatsApp wins the race overall, and its advantage has grown over the past few quarters. (GWI Report)
- Facebook Messenger has reached 988 million monthly active users. (Statista)
- The most distinctive messaging apps among Gen Z users are also the ones that have experienced the greatest recent growth, with Telegram and Discord each seeing a 19% increase in usage since 2020. (GWI Report)
- Beyond Facebook, Messenger is the second most downloaded iOS app of all time. On Android, Messenger has been downloaded over 1 billion times. (Facebook)
- Every month, people send over 21 billion photographs via Messenger to their friends. (Facebook)
Image source: GWI
Account-based marketing stats
- Finding target contacts and researching accounts are the top two ABM marketing strategies. (State of Marketing Trends Report 2022, Hubspot)
- Companies spend 29% of their marketing budgets on ABM on average. (Spiceworks)
- ABM is used by 94% of marketers. (Terminus)
- 70% of businesses claim to use ABM. (State of Marketing Trends Report 2022, Hubspot)
- 90% of businesses cite new business creation as their primary ABM strategy objective. (Terminus)
- 56% of marketers think that a successful ABM strategy depends on personalized content. (Forrester)
Final thoughts
For brands and marketers who are still unsure of the potential of social media marketing, these statistics provide compelling proof.
Marketers and brands can reach and engage consumers most effectively on social media for both B2C and B2B products.
As far as the customer is concerned, social media is the place to be.
Social media has become a key source of information for customers, so it’s important not to overlook content development.
I hope these statistics for social media marketing have inspired you to level up your strategy for next year.
