What’s Up with Social Media?
At first, people thought that social media would be a temporary craze that would eventually be forgotten. Obviously, this is not just a trend. On the contrary, people now use social media as a way to connect with others and to keep up with the world around them. Moreover, it’s become an escapism, or a way to take a break. As a business owner, what do you gain from this rapid change in platforms? And why should you know how many people use social media? Why would these numbers be important for your business?Why Is Social Media Marketing so Important Now?
The transition from old media (i.e. newspapers and television) to new media (i.e. the Internet) has majorly shifted the marketing field throughout these past two decades. The TV set that your audience used to gather around is a thing of the past. Nowadays, the majority of people are only interested in checking their social media accounts. How about a little experiment? Just walk through any street of your choosing and count how many heads are bent down with their eyes not moving an inch from their mobile’s screen. You’ll eventually lose count. People traded the TV for the Internet and they aren’t looking back.Social Media for Business
So, how can businesses follow suit? How can you communicate with your audience using social media as a mediator? The truth is, if businesses fail to evolve their marketing techniques, they won’t be able to keep up with what their audience wants. It’d only be a matter of time before they lose their consumers. People want a brand that will connect with them, wherever they are. Moreover, you want your audience to trust and like you, but for that to happen, they need to connect with you. They can’t connect with you if you’re not present where they spend most of their time. The first thing you should do to start a connection is to figure out who your audience is. What do they like? What don’t they like? Who are their favorite celebrities? Why do they use social media? To answer these questions, however, you need to know exactly how many people use social media. You’ll also benefit from learning what people use different platforms for.How Many People Use Social Media in the World?
The Global Digital Report of 2018 estimated the number of social media users in the world to be 3.196 billion, 13% higher than the year before. With a total worldwide population of 7.6 billion people, that estimate is a penetration of more than 40% of the population. Additionally, each social media user has an average of 7.6 social media accounts. Previous reports had predicted that 3.02 billion social media users would only be reached by 2021. It was also estimated that 750 million of those users would be from China, while one third of a billion would be from India. Talk about a jump! The country with the highest increase in year-to-year social media usage is Saudi Arabia. Gulf countries saw a 32% increase in the number of social media users as opposed to the global average of 13%. The U.A.E, South Korea and the UK all have an average of <5% increase, the lowest globally. According to a study by IDC Research, 80% of people check their smartphones for notifications within 15 minutes of waking up. People now spend an average of 87 minutes of their day on their smartphones on weekdays. On weekends, they spend more than 160 minutes on social media. The Philippines managed, for the third year in a row, to hold on to its title as champions of social media. Filipinos spend the longest time on social media with an average of 3 hours and 57 minutes a day. Meanwhile, Brazilians are catching up with an average of 3 hours and 39 minutes spent on social media per day.Increasing Potential Reach
With social media quickly becoming a part of everyone’s daily routine, the above statistics are bound to double and triple within the next few years. When you think about how many people use social media, consider the many business opportunities that come with that change in behaviour. The more people use social media, the higher the number of potential reach will be. Knowing where to reach your target audience is key to your business’s survival. If you’re thinking about expanding your business or branching out in different countries, you should start by finding out how many people use social media in the country you plan on expanding to.How Many People Use Social Media in the UK?
In countries like the UK, finding out how many people use social media should not be taken lightly. Statistics have shown that over 83% of the UK population are now active on social media. As a business owner operating in the UK, ignoring that huge potential market could be catastrophic for your company. In 2017, a BBC Newsbeat study about how many people use social media in the UK showed that the highest percentage of all social media users is among those aged between 23 and 34. On the other hand, the lowest percentage is among the age group of 50-65 years old. It’s best to approach your target audience using the social media platforms they’re most active on. If they’re among a young age bracket, then YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat would be the right spots to start. However, if your target falls in the older segment, then using Facebook and Twitter would be a better approach.How Many People Use Social Media: Statistics
- 76% of Facebook users check it everyday.
- 60 billion messages are exchanged through Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp each day.
- 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube daily.
- 51% of Instagram users open the app daily, while 35% check it more than once throughout the day.
- Instagram Stories now have a soaring 300 million active users compared to Snapchat’s 150 million.
- 81% of millennials check Twitter at least once a day.
- 6,000 tweets are sent every second and 500 million tweets are sent every day.
- 18% of LinkedIn users login a maximum of once a day.