At the end of last year I started evaluating current social media stats. At the start of this one, I began building some decks here to help present my social media consulting and social media management services to potential clients. Part of the research for that process was locating current and relevant social media stats.
What’s Happening with Social Media Now?
Remember when everyone was allegedly leaving Facebook? Was it the death knell for that social media platform? No. Far, from it actually. Facebook continues to thrive. In fact, it is stronger than it was before. Did you know that? It is killing it on Instagram and Instagram stories are extremely valuable for brands and influencers alike. And also Facebook groups have become invaluable tools for patient groups and communities.
Don’t Forget About Private Facebook Groups
Content creators have known this for years. Private and secret groups thrive and quite simply are in massive growth mode for health care issues and patient groups. The supportive and mostly private online nature of the groups has become a game changer globally for people who struggle.
For instance, consider this hypothetical: if you have a rare disease and there are less than 100 of these cases diagnosed in Canada you might have trouble connecting with those other patients to share notes about symptoms, self care and best practices. But, no more…now you can access information globally within the day, if not sooner.
Ask Someone in the Know For Support
If you are not sure what platforms are still relevant and where you need to be spending your time and money, then you need someone who can help you make sense of it. You need someone who can help you hear the buzz, filter through it and capitalize on the tools to create the conversation and access the audience that you need. That’s not an easy task when there’s so much noise out there. This is what I do here on a daily basis for several clients. Contact me – Paula Schuck at inkscrblr@rogers.com subject line – Social Media Support Inquiry and I will happily get back to you.
Current Social Media Stats
By the third quarter of 2019, Facebook had 45 billion monthly active users
Instagram now has over 1 billion monthly active users–a 42.86% increase from 2017 when it had 700 million. That’s a lot of growth in just two years. Among these users, 90% follow a business on the platform, suggesting that Instagram users are keen on hearing from and about brands.
The Instagram platform also takes the cake when it comes to engagement.
Brands are driving a median engagement of 1.60% across industries on Instagram. As of Q1 2019, Twitter has about 330 million active users worldwide. 79% of Twitter users like to discover what’s new, making it the top platform for discovery.
Don’t ignore Pinterest:
Pinterest is a Search Engine and not a social media channel, but you can’t afford to ignore it. On my lifestyle, health and travel web site Thrifty Mommas Tips, Pinterest is one of my number one traffic sources.
- Pinterest has more than 320 million monthly active users.
- Surprisingly 40 % of US Dads use Pinterest.
- 52% of millennials use Pinterest every month.
- Women power buying decisions on Pinterest.
- Gen Z also uses the platform routinely. (I only have to watch my two teens and their habits online to realize Pinterest is like their vision board often and between that and Instagram, it fuels a lot of their buying which is done online. Is it any shock that kids who are digital natives, growing up with a smartphone in their hands 24/7, live online and buy online?)
Hire Someone to Help You Make Sense of Social Media
I have managed numerous client campaigns since 2012 when I launched my business here. I can do everything from building a social media or content strategy to managing your social media channels, or creating and editorial calendar.