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The rise of social media networks has changed the way people live around the world. Because of this, news move quickly on social platforms and there is no waiting for a reporter to compile a story. The same goes for marketing. Consequently, customers have the power to ask for recommendations in an instant. They do this by simply asking a group they have joined on Facebook for reviews.
There is no denying that social platforms are now a major source of information. People can use a hashtag to get the word out. We saw this when Facebook and its family of apps went down on October 4th people tweeted with the hashtag #facebookdown and #instagramdown. In an instant, the news spread across the world and Facebook lost a few points in their stock price.
As a business you can’t afford to not be present on social media, spend a lot of time there. They are mentioning you and making recommendations or even hurting your brand. This is a powerful communication channel you can’t ignore.
You have to understand the importance of social media in your marketing plans. But there’s so much noise, so much data, so much marketing babble out there that it can be hard to know where to start.
Here are 8 social media statistics, backed by research and insights from the pros that you need to know.
1. There are 4.48 Billion Social Media Users
In July of 2021, the reported number of social platform users was at 4.48billion worldwide. That’s the equivalent of 57% of the world population according to (DataReportal, 2021). This shows social media use is growing.
There has been a big increase since July 2020 with 520million people joining. That’s an estimated annual growth of 13.1 percent. This number has grown from the 3.78billion reported by Statistica in 2020.
To clarify, the data suggests that more than 70% of the eligible global population is on social channels. This is the increase in internet and mobile accessibility across the world. Many of these platforms are available as mobile apps and free to download.
2. Facebook is the highest used platform.
Statcounter says Facebook is the most used platform. It holds 72% of the social market share in September 2021. There are 1.9 billion Facebook users worldwide as of September 2021. Facebook is also the 3rd most visited website after Google and Youtube. It gets a reported 20 billion visits a month.
Given that Facebook is the largest social media platform, it’s important to how it works. Firstly, you need to know how you can make the best out of the content you have, and the team and budget you have. Secondly, understand how well your content may potentially perform on the platform.
And lastly, research on how you can best optimize your profile for both organic and social reach. It is always best to stay up to date with the latest trends so you can tweak your strategy accordingly.
3. People spend time on Social Media.
The latest statistic shows people spend two hours and twenty-five minutes on social media per day. (DataReportal, 2021). This shows we are slowly becoming dependent on social media. As a result, this presents a great opportunity for businesses looking to use a social media strategy for their business.
Assuming we sleep 8 hours a day, people spend 15% of their awake time on social media. The data shows an average user visits 6.6 social platforms a month.
4. Social media is working for business.
Globally, brands are jumping on the social wagon. Brands are continuing to include social media in their digital marketing strategy. 73% of marketers believe social media has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective for their business. (buffer 2019)
Brands are trying different strategies, with video being the latest active that’s getting more engagements on platforms like Facebook. Here, brands can build brand awareness and build brand loyalty.
5. Your Customers are on Social Media
People are using social media to find products. 54% of social browsers are researching products. A big number of people are joining social channels to ask for recommendations.
Social media marketing isn’t just a buzz, it’s a necessity for success for almost every business today. It’s important for your business to be on social media.
6. A great Customer Experience
Social media works as a marketing tool, sales tool, and customer service point. Customers have the freedom to reach brands through replying to posts, sending DMs. Also, they are mentioning brands in their posts. This allows brands to help their customers find what they are looking for. This results in providing the best customer service.
When managing a page, it’s important to keep in touch with your audience and engage with them. Sometimes customers can mention you, and you need to be there with them to respond. This results in a positive experience for the customer. 71% of consumers are likely to recommend a brand to their friends and family when they have had a positive experience with a brand on social media (Lyfemarketing, 2018).
Engaging with your customers is a sign you care about them and their success. Customers expect a reply from brands within an hour. However, unhappy customers expect an instant reply.
7. Influencers are Helping Brands Build Trust.
Influencer marketing is growing. Brands are leveraging the trust customers have in influencers. This is because, 49% of consumers claim that they depend on influencer recommendations on social channels to inform their purchasing decision (Fourcommunications, 2018). Consumers are growing to trust brands more if it was recommended by an influencer.
Brands are now using influencers to reach out to their customers through their social platforms.
8. Social Media Users are Using Mobile
The importance of optimizing your social profile for mobile is important. This is because 91% of social channels users use a mobile device. Similarly, 80% of the time spent on social media is on mobile. (Lyfemarketing, 2018)
There is a change in smartphones and social media. Needless to say, customers will favor a brand that had a mobile responsive page, and this is caused by social media post sizes being well-done.
As the use of social platforms continues to grow, I thought it would be interesting to look back and identify these statistics. I’m a big fan of data and statistics, there’s something fascinating about being able to dig into and get an idea of what there are saying.
The positives are it gives you these stats to plan your next move on your digital marketing strategy.
Given these eye-opening statistics, what’s your next step?
