Social Media Insights

Kenneth Surbrugg, Director of Entrepreneurship at Missouri Southern State University 

The month of July, according to a recent internet search, is “Social Wellness Month.” In this day and age of social distancing, social wellness looks a lot different than it did last year. So, this month, to honor social wellness, why not examine social media? In this article, I want to highlight some social media statistics to reinforce the importance of social media in today’s business environment.

Facebook: (data from Omnicore.com, Salman Aslam, April 22, 2020)

With over 2.5 billion monthly active users and with about 7 in 10 adults in the U.S. using Facebook, this social media platform still makes a lot of sense for business use. Here is some interesting information about Facebook:

• 190 million Facebook users from the United States
• 82% of college graduates are on Facebook
• Facebook users are 54% female and 46% are male
• 62% of online Seniors aged 65+ are on Facebook and 72% are between age 50 – 64
• 88% of online users age 18 – 29 are on Facebook
• Over 7 million advertisers are active on this platform
• 93% of marketers use Facebook advertising regularly
• 45% of monthly social media visits occur on Facebook
• 5 billion comments are left on Facebook pages monthly
• 100 million hours of video are watched on Facebook every day
• 85% of Facebook videos are watched with the sound off
• 20% of videos are live broadcasts
• 96% of Facebook users accessed via mobile devices

Instagram: (data from Omnicore.com, Salman Aslam, February 10, 2020)

With over 1 billion total number of monthly active users, including 120.7 million users from the United States, this social media platform is another opportunity to reach a certain market for your business.

• 63% of Americans use Instagram daily
• 30% of global Instagram audiences are aged between 18 – 24
• 35% of global Instagram audiences are aged between 25 – 34
• 72% of teens use Instagram
• 56% of Instagram users are female users, 44% are male
• 70% of shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram for product discovery
• 25 million business profiles with over 2 million monthly advertisers
• One-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses
• User-generated content has a 4.5% higher conversion-rate
• 200 million+ Instagrammers visit at least one business profile daily
• 50% of Instagram users use explore page every month
• 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded
• Photos with faces get 38% more likes
• 60% of people say they discover new products on Instagram
• Posts with a location get 79% more engagement

LinkedIn: (data from Omnicore.com, Salman Aslam, February 10, 2020)

With over 675 million users worldwide and 167 million plus users in the United States, it makes sense for businesses to explore LinkedIn as a viable social media option.

• 46 million students and recent college graduates are on LinkedIn
• 57% are male users, 43% are female users on LinkedIn
• 24% of global LinkedIn users are aged between 18 – 24
• 90 million users are senior-level influencers
• 63 million users are in decision-making positions
• LinkedIn is the #1 channel for B2B (business to business) marketers to distribute content
• 92% of B2B marketers include LinkedIn in their digital marketing mix
• 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn versus 13% on Twitter and 7% on Facebook
• 97% of B2B marketers utilize LinkedIn for their content marketing efforts
• Professional content gets 15x more content impressions than job postings
• 6 out of 10 users are actively looking for industry insights
• Posts that include “How to” and lists perform better
• Articles without videos perform better than those with video
• 30 million companies are on LinkedIn with 20 million open job listings
• LinkedIn profiles with professional headshots get 14 times more profile views
• 59% of LinkedIn members have never worked at a company with more than 200 employees
• More than 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn regularly
• LinkedIn message ads delivered a 40% conversion rate

As you review this information, assess your target market – what social media platforms are they on and what are they looking for? What are your business goals for social media? How will you manage and schedule your time for social media? How will you engage with your followers and encourage engagement?

Social media has a place in your overall business marketing efforts. Like most things, understand that this takes time to develop. Monitor engagements (likes, comments, shares) and consider using different platforms for different content. It is apparent that people are on social media, and that businesses are utilizing different platforms for different purposes. Discover yours.