Social media continues to be a part of consumers’ everyday lives. The latest statistics show there are 3.78 billion social media users worldwide in 2021—a five percent increase from a year ago. Furthermore, there are more than nine in ten (91 percent) social media users who use mobile devices to access social networks. (Oberlo)
According to Influencer Marketing Hub , an average of 2 million people sign up to social networks every day. Facebook continues to dominate the social media space, with 2.7 billion users. This is followed by YouTube and WhatsApp, each at 2 billion users.
While Facebook may have the largest numbers of users, YouTube by far has the most number of visits.
The average number of social media accounts per internet user (aged 16 to 64) is 8.3. In data collected by GWI, at least 98% of the users of any given social media platform also use at least one other social platform. For example, 85% of TikTok users aged 16 to 64 use Facebook, and almost 95% of Instagram users in the same age group also use YouTube.
Social Media Marketing
Social platforms offer an ideal way for brands to connect with consumers. In Influencer Marketing Hub’s research, when asked why brands use social media, 69% of respondent stated they use it for brand awareness. Additional reasons include:
- 52% – Increasing web traffic
- 46% – Growing the brand’s audience
- 44% – Promoting content
- 43% – Increasing community engagement
According to consumers, 57% follow brands to learn about new products or services. Other reasons include:
- 47% – To stay up-to-date on company news
- 40% – To learn about promotions or discounts
- 40% – To be entertained
- 34% – To be educated
Conversely, 49% of consumers unfollow brands for poor customer service. Other reasons for unfollowing a brand include
- 49% – Poor quality of product or support
- 45% – Irrelevant content
- 45% – Too many ads from that brand
- 39% – Privacy concerns
Many businesses collect and use social data related to their campaigns. Survey respondents were asked how they use this data. The most popular reasons were:
How do consumers discover new brands on social? The most popular was taking notice of suggestions in their feed and/or using discovery tools (45%). Respondents were also asked what they (as consumers) did when they followed brands on social. The most common actions taken by consumers who follow brands on social included:
- 91% – Visit the brand’s website or application
- 89% – Buy from the brand
- 85% – Recommend that brand to a family or friend
- 84% – Choose that brand over a competitor
- 84% – Visit the brand’s physical retail store
- 75% – Increase their spending with that brand
- 74% – Reach out for customer service or support
- 74% – Read that brand’s blog or site content
While nearly 7 in 10 people engage with brands on social media, many more interact with a brand in some other way due to its social actions. Reasons for engaging with brands on social include:
Consumers love images and video. Types of content consumers prefer to engage with on social include:
- 68% – Images
- 50% – Videos
- 30% – Text-based posts
- 26% – Stories
- 26% – Polls
- 22% – Live Video
There is overwhelming opportunity for brands who manage their social presence. These statistics can show you the state of social media today and help you create a social media marketing strategy to continuously meet customers where they want to be met.
Porch Group Media provides a full suite of social media marketing solutions to better target your customers and prospects. Contact us to learn more.
