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Social media changes by the day, so you can imagine how much it evolves across the span of a year. We wanted to look at the state of social media in 2019 to get a better feel for how many people are using it, what these people are like, and in what manner they use it.
Here's a summary of what we found.
How Many People Are Using Social Media Across the Globe?
While the data varies across sources, much research agrees that the number of social media users worldwide has surpassed three billion. That's almost half of the world population. No big deal, right?
In case you had any doubt (which you probably didn't), this number has been steadily climbing over the years and shows no signs of slowing down.
Social media isn't going anywhere.
What Platforms Do People Care Most About?
Facebook themselves confirmed their own massive growth in April of this year. As of March 31, they had over 2.38 billion monthly active users. Overall, this is an 8% increase in monthly active users year over year. In Q4 of 2018, they had 2.32 billion monthly active users.
The platform is really giving brands a run for their money. Organic traffic is virtually nonexistent — a tiny fraction of what it was just a couple of years ago. Thus, Facebook advertising has become almost essential if you want to succeed there.
There might initially be some resistance, but oftentimes very quickly, brands realize that there's a huge benefit when you "pay to play." Facebook ads can help you reach millions of people, and the ROI is no laughing matter. There are businesses spending five and six figures a month on Facebook ads, and it's because they're making so much more. Cha-ching!
While nobody can really keep up with Facebook, the other platforms certainly aren't to be ignored.
Facebook-owned Instagram has also seen insane (and consistent) growth over the years.
IG has a whopping one billion monthly active users, 500 million of which are loyal fans and use the platform every single day.
Instagram has gone from being an online photo album to so much more. While it's still an excellent place for the occasional selfie, brands have come to rely on it as the powerful marketing and advertising tool that it is.
This platform isn't here to play games. It indirectly took on Snapchat with the introduction of Instagram Stories — snippets that disappear after 24 hours. So did Facebook.
Your move, Snapchat.
If there were ever a misunderstood social media platform, Twitter would be it. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that its competitors do. The insights aren't as robust, and the advertising platform isn't nearly as expansive.
Twitter has somewhere in the ballpark of 326 million monthly active users — not much, compared to Facebook and Instagram.
But maybe it's wrong to compare. Twitter isn't lacking; it's just different. It's a fast-moving platform where you have to constantly be posting and engaging if you want to stay in people's feeds.
Plus, whatever you need to say, you need to be able to spit it out, because the character limit doesn't allow for lengthy posts.
Some people aren't a fan of this, but honestly, considering how short our attention spans are, how long do you want to go on talking anyway?
Pinterest is in a league of its own. If there's any platform that can suck you in for hours and you don't even realize it, this is it.
Perhaps surprisingly, Pinterest has in the neighborhood of 265 million monthly active users as of Q1 of 2019 — even less than Twitter. But one thing's for certain: When it gets a new user, that person quickly becomes a loyal fan.
Users often turn to Pinterest for inspiration before buying a product. Thus, it's immensely influential is encouraging purchasing decisions. Pinterest is also powerful when it comes to driving traffic back to websites. People use it like a search engine — like Google. So, if you spend time optimizing your pins and posting high-quality, valuable content, you will very likely reap the rewards.
Who's on Social Media?
Millennials
While social media users are spread across every generation, millennials undoubtedly take the cake. In fact, they take the whole bakery.
Millennials hold so much power when it comes to digital marketing that they've actually changed the way brands market. Marketing to millennials is its own conversation.
For instance, millennials don't want to be blatantly sold to. They want to be treated as equals. They want a personalized experience, focusing on things that really matter to them, like sustainable living. They're optimistic about the future, want to make a difference in the world, and want to enjoy their lives.
One mustn't underestimate the purchasing power millennials have. If they believe a brand doesn't align with their values, they won't spend money with them. Period.
Millennials have wrongly gotten a reputation for being superficial and self-entitled, but the data has proven it wrong. They're not here to spend money on frivolous things. Their purchases go a lot deeper than that.
Baby Boomers
Don't worry, baby boomers. We see you.
There's a misconception that baby boomers aren't on social media. This is false! In fact, according to research, 82% of them who use the internet have at least one social media profile. On average, they have 4.6 accounts! Facebook and LinkedIn are the most popular.
So, what are they doing on social media? They're primarily sharing content. They actually share more content than any other generation. They also love watching videos. YouTube is their go-to, followed by Facebook (although there's no competition there), and they're typically looking for entertainment or utility.
Why Should Businesses Care About Social Media Marketing?
You probably already know why your brand needs digital marketing, but let's dive a little deeper.
People Use Social Media to Determine What to Buy
We already touched on this earlier, but in case you had any doubt that social media influences purchasing decisions, we're going to talk about it a little more.
For instance, did you know that 72% of millennials said they've bought fashion or beauty products after seeing them on Instagram?
Furthermore, 71% of people are likelier to buy something online if it's been recommended by others. This highlights the absolute importance of getting online reviews. You can accomplish this with — you guessed it — social media marketing. (A bit more on this in a moment.)
And we haven't even gotten to social media influencers — individuals who typically specialize in one industry and have a massive following. For instance, there are fashion influencers, beauty influencers, and fitness influencers.
These people hold so much power because their fans are loyal. When an influencer posts about a product or recommends it, their followers listen. It's a very special relationship grounded in trust, which is why most influencers won't work with a brand if it's not something they personally like and feel good recommending. They don't want to break that trust.
As an added bonus, influencer marketing is often much more affordable than other types of marketing — certainly more traditional kinds. If you find the right influencer for you, you might very well see major dollar signs.
Influencers have changed the way we advertise on social media, and brands are just trying to keep up with the evolution of digital marketing. It's a lot different than it used to be, but it also works really well.
People Turn to Social Media Reviews for Recommendations and Advice
Talking about how fantastic your brand is is great. You know what's even better? Getting other people to talk about how fantastic your brand is.
People will trust your customers more than they'll trust you, and that's ok. But this means your digital marketing strategy should including collecting online reviews and testimonials.
People treat reviews like a recommendation from a trusted friend. It's more organic and authentic.
Facebook and Yelp are good places to start, and don't forget about Google My Business (which integrates with eClincher, by the way).
You should be regularly posting on your social media profiles asking for reviews, and you can reach out to your email list, too. If you have a brick and mortar, hang signs asking people to leave a review and telling them how to do it.
Social Media: The Past, Presence, and Future
Social media is a totally different beast from the early days of MySpace and then Facebook. It's barely recognizable. Furthermore, it's not just something we use only to kill time.
If you're a business owner or marketer and social media isn't a focus for your brand, you're not dying — you're already dead.
The state of social media can't be ignored. This is now non-negotiable. To be clear, traditional forms of advertising may not be completely obsolete. Certain types of brands are still seeing some success from billboards and print ads. But the masses have spoken: Social media is the reigning champ, and it's also a lot more cost-effective than more traditional kinds of marketing and advertising.
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