13 Striking Social Media Marketing Statistics for 2023

Updated · May 20, 2023

Social media has become more than just a communication tool. It’s a preferred form of entertainment.

People of all ages spend their free time scrolling through their feed. There is a fine line between excessive social media usage and social media obsession.

But while excessive use could easily become detrimental to individuals, it is very lucrative for businesses. It allows companies to track user behavior and target specific audiences to advance their organization.

Below, we have prepared some intriguing social media marketing statistics to show you how that works in practice.

Fascinating Social Media Marketing Statistics

  • 4.66 billion people worldwide use the internet.
  • In 2019, over 42% of people used social media.
  • More than 53% of people worldwide have an online account in 2022.
  • As of October 2021, there are 4.55 billion active accounts on social media.
  • The average person spends two hours and 25 minutes on social media daily.
  • 73% of marketers evaluate their social media marketing campaign as “somewhat effective” or “very effective.”
  • 37% of consumers find inspiration to buy a product on social media platforms.
  • 71% of businesses in the US have an Instagram account.
  • More than 50 million companies use Facebook Business Pages.
  • 48% of social media users claim responsiveness increases their willingness to purchase from a brand or company.

Social Media Marketing Statistics in 2022

Most people use social media platforms on a daily basis. And companies take advantage of that. How do they do that?

Check out the social media marketing facts below and find out.

1. 4.55 billion people are active on social media as of October 2021.

(Source: Hootsuite)

How do you spend your lunch break? What do you do while you wait in a queue? 

Let us take a wild guess. You check your Facebook. And then your Instagram. 

Most of us do, anyway. And more people join the club every year.

In 2021, social media gained 400 million new users, marking a 10% growth in just one year. This equates to around 13 new social media users every single second!

2. TikTok’s advertising audience reached 825 million in October 2021.

(Source: Hootsuite)

TikTok has a predominantly young user base. However, it’s gaining popularity among older generations, too. In 2021, it reached one billion monthly active users.

Social media ads statistics reveal that of them, 825 million are over 18 and the perfect target audience for marketers.

3. 54% of people on social media use it to research products.

(Source: Blog GWI)

Everything we do online is being tracked. That includes Google searches.

Let’s conduct an experiment. Try searching for baby products online. You’ll soon notice that the ads you see over the next couple of days are related to your search.

Although some find it alarming, many people use the internet to find and purchase products anyway.

Social networks stats show that 54% of social media users research products online. In addition, 37% have visited a brand’s social media page, and 36% have liked or followed the account.

Marketers take advantage of that and use these channels to gain more customers.

Social Media Marketing Usage Statistics

Social media marketing can be a powerful tool if done properly.

How can companies ensure their strategy is successful? For starters, by keeping up to date with social media marketing stats.

It’s important to know what your target audience is and when they are active. Then, you can create a post that will appeal to them and schedule it according to their active time.

4. More than a third of millennials are online all the time.

(Source: Content-Science)

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are the people born between 1981 and 1996. They are the perfect target group for social media marketing.

Why?

Because they spend a lot of time online and earn a salary (that are willing to spend). In other words, the perfect buyer persona.

According to social media statistics, 36% of millennials are online almost constantly. And the more time a user spends online, the easier it is to reach them and convince them to make a purchase.

(Source: Hootsuite)

We already said how many people use social media in 2021. However, if you want to use social media to improve your customer reach, you will need to know more.

Moreover, you will have to deal with your competitors. They are on Instagram and Facebook too.

In fact, a large percentage of people who use social media are out there building their brand just like you.

6. US social media ad spending will increase to $49 billion in 2021.

(Source: Hootsuite)

You have to give to receive, right? Social media advertising is no exception to this rule. Since this type of marketing is so successful, businesses do not hesitate to invest in it.

In fact, statistics on social media reveal a rapid growth in investment.

Predictions for 2021 were that ad spending in the US would reach $49 billion, marking a 21.3% increase.

Were they fulfilled? We will soon find out.

7. 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile every day.

(Source: Hootsuite)

Social media platforms are powerful advertising tools. But how powerful exactly? 

According to statistics about social media, 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile every day. In addition, 130 million users of the platform click on a shopping post every month.

Although this data does not reveal how many of those clicks end up as purchases, we are sure of one thing.

This exposure boosts brand awareness. Your business has already reached a new (or returning) customer. This is step one.

What’s more, we do have data about purchases as a result of website visits. 50% of people who have visited a company’s website buy their product or service. Promising, right?

8. 73% of marketers consider their social media marketing campaign somewhat or very effective.

(Source: Oberlo)

Influencers.

Promoted posts.

Sponsored stories. 

There are tons of social media marketing tools. Best of all, social networking statistics reveal they are effective. And, for the most part, affordable.

Why not try it then?

The majority of brands already have social media marketing campaigns. And they claim their efforts have paid off.

Social Media Marketing Effectiveness

Is social media an effective marketing tool?

Can Instagram and Facebook ads increase customer reach?

Is checking a brand’s online profile the new window shopping?

Let’s take a look at some social media marketing statistics to answer these questions.

9. Facebook reached 2.9 billion active users in July 2021.

(Source: Statista)

The leading social media platform Facebook was the first one to reach one billion users. Plus, it seems like it’ll soon break the three billion accounts record.

Of course, this social media growth is evident in other platforms, too. This is great news for businesses. More users means larger customer reach.

The question is, how to grab their attention?

10. YouTube channels that make more than $10,000 a year marked 50% growth.

(Source: Hootsuite)Is it really possible to use YouTube to advance your business?

Well, data shows that YouTube channels earning over $10,000 per year have increased by 50% year over year. But those are mainly influencers.

How about businesses?

According to social media marketing stats, companies can benefit from this platform too. Data suggests that 70% of viewers purchased a product after seeing the brand on YouTube. Music to marketers’ ears, right?

Social media data also shows that creating ads that target users by intent instead of demographics result in a 100% higher purchase intent.

Talk about a high return on investment!

11. Pinterest ads’ ROI for retail brands is two times higher than that of other platforms.

(Source: Hootsuite)

Return on investment is one of the most important indicators of a successful marketing strategy.

Social media research shows that the majority of users (70%) don’t search for specific brands on the platform. This means that you can win over Pinterest users with high-quality content and good ideas.

And the high ROI will certainly reward your efforts.

12. 74% of people who follow small or medium businesses on social media expect updates on future products.

(Source: Neil Patel)

What do we do when we like a certain product? We buy it again. And again. Until we finally become loyal to the brand and continue buying its products no matter the price.

Brand loyalty comes with many perks for businesses. Social media researchers found that loyal customers are more likely to try out new products.

For example, 74% of people who follow small and medium businesses on Twitter expect updates on future products.

To stay on top of the saturated market, businesses need to follow the latest social media marketing trends. They change with the speed of light.

Should Instagram posts be clean-looking?

What should a sponsored story look like?

How much money should a business invest in ads?

Social media marketing stats can’t give the answers to all of these questions. Most of the time, it is trial and error.

Still, let’s take a look at some data that can give us an idea of what’s trendy now.

13. 49% of consumers depend on influencers’ recommendations on social media platforms.

(Source: Oberlo)

Imagine you have a brand for a tea that promotes weight loss. Your marketers advise you to invite an influencer that will be the face of the brand.

Which direction are you going to take? You better make the right decision. It could influence 49% of your potential customers.

For example, your weight loss tea is promoted by a celebrity known for previous drug abuse or alcoholism.

Customers would undoubtedly associate your product with unhealthy behaviors.

And we do not want that!

Wrap Up

People are addicted to social media. Surely, the increase of social media usage has many negative consequences.

But it benefits brands. With a successful social media strategy, businesses could boost brand awareness and sales.

In the social media marketing statistics list above, we demonstrate the effectiveness of investing in social media. Plus, we provide some useful insights about the ideal buyer persona, the leading platforms, and more.

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Nick Galov
Nick Galov

Unaware that life beyond the internet exists, Nick is poking servers and control panels, playing with WordPress add-ons, and helping people get the hosting that suits them.