We live in a world with a crushing, mind-numbing, terrifying amount of data. Looking at social media trends is a bit like watching the ticker scroll on a cable news channel….big numbers, odd jargon and, at least at some point, that glazed-over look in the eye. Of all those digits, we dug deep to pick five that you need to know as we roll ever-deeper into 2020
We’re focusing on two platforms to keep it simple and to highlight that social media marketing is evolving. Facebook and its little brother, Instagram, aren’t really rivals; they’re two flavors from the same candy store. What’s interesting for you is how to determine where, what, and when to invest in each platform as you identify the unique users on each site. What follows is a brief look at the small details we think indicate that Instagram is finally inching closer to Facebook…and maybe even pulling ahead.
5%. Facebook and Instagram are very age-specific, with 85% of teenagers saying they prefer Instagram over Facebook. That isn’t too big of a surprise. Perhaps what is telling is that older users are slowly adopting Instagram. The 50-64 year old demographic jumped by 5% in 2019, up to 23% from 18%.
28. Time is money. Social media platforms invest billions of dollars in designing their apps and websites to retain users for as long as possible and bring them back as often as possible. When it comes to Instagram, users invest an average of 28 minutes per day on the app. That’s impressive, especially when you consider that Instagram sees 1 billion active users per month.
7. Right now, there are seven countries serving as guinea pigs for Instagram. Over a year ago, the company announced it would test hiding Like counts from users. The idea was to encourage accounts to post more often and not be hesitant to not get a big number of little red hearts on each one. It’s simple; more posts, more content, more reason for other users to hit refresh. But so far, engagement has dropped by an average of 41% in those seven countries. For businesses, that make smart decisions on your content much tougher.
200 million. If you’re a business, this is the one you’ll want to make note of. Roughly 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile per day. Tracking your traffic is as easy as using a Business Profile, which will allow you to measure basic metrics like Reach, Engagement, Followers, and more, all over a seven-day period.
73%. Instagram is more than just entertainment. The company has borrowed plenty of tools from Facebook and reshaped itself to become a prime retail space. That’s an investment that’s only increasing in 2020, and it’s paying off. 73% of teenagers say that it’s Instagram that serves as the best place to feature products. That’s ahead of Snapchat and Facebook. Even if teenagers aren’t a prime demographic now, generations tend to stick with the social media platforms they know. Watch for Instagram to turn into a retail giant in the next few years if these trends hold pace.
Instagram is turning into more than just a depository of food pictures. The value of its feed, its Stories traffic, and its increasingly-seamless integration with tools and products perfected by Facebook mean it’s something many businesses have dreamed about; it’s an upstart with all the top dog’s trick.
Want to learn more about social media marketing? Let’s chat. Send an email to cody@qandm.agency and let’s get your social game growing.