15 Amazing 2013 Social Media Statistics

1. There are over 1.19 billion active Facebook users worldwide, which is an 18 per cent increase year over year. I think it is fair to say that Facebook is one of the biggest social networking sites across the globe.
2. Every second 8,000 users will like a photo on Instagram and, did you know, ‘MTV’ is the most followed user on Instagram with over 1.2 million followers. It might be worth checking out their content to see what makes MTV so successful.
3. The highest traffic occurs mid-week between 1pm to 3pm so use it to your advantage. By understanding when more people are using social networking at a single time, you can post significant content to ensure the most views possible.
4. More than 69% of Pinterest users are female, so you know what that means! Target that audience if it is relevant to your business. Don’t wait for the consumer to come to you; you need to approach the consumer.
5. Engagement is 18% higher online on Thursdays and Fridays. Now, this may be due to the end of the week slacking and that ‘can’t be bothered to do work’ attitude, but see it as an opportunity. Find ways to attract the procrastinators with content that has a catchy or intriguing title.
6. 4.2 billion people use a mobile device to access social media sites, so make sure your content has ‘scroll-abilty’ and fits nicely on a smaller screen. Also make sure that the content isn’t too bulky, nothing is worse than waiting 10 minutes for a page to load.
7. The average time spent on Facebook is 20 minutes, so maybe think about what can be achieved in that kind of time scale. If you are posting a new article, it may be a good idea to time a proof read so that you know it is possible for your content to be read during a lunch break or bus journey.
8. 40% of marketers use Google+ and 70% desire to learn more. Stop being that 70% and help to increase that 40%. Google+ has many advantages for business, so why not try to improve your knowledge.
9. Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55-64 year old, registering an increase in active users of 79%. It is important to research the average age of users for each social networking site. If you are looking for a younger consumer, then maybe Twitter isn’t the place to be. Research such as this is vital to social media marketing and PR.
10. 50% more hours of video were being watched on YouTube in March 2013 compared to August 2012. If the statistics keep increasing at a similar rate, it is quite clear that maybe your company needs to invest more in visually stimulating media. A short but engaging video can be all it takes to spread the word of an idea or business.
11. Two new users join LinkedIn every second. LinkedIn is a great placed to find fresh talent for your company. With over 1 billion endorsements, you’re sure to find the exact qualities you are looking for from an employee.
12. The USA spent over 5 times more money on online advertising than the UK in 2013. This could suggest that competing with large Global corporations in advertising online could be a waste of money. Instead, do research of where your consumer is circulating and go from there.
13. There are currently 102 million Tumblr blogs. If you are ever to indulge in this growing blogging platform for whatever reason, remember to make sure that your blog stands out. Effective hashtagging and/or search terms are essential to a successful blog.
14. On Facebook, 75% of potential engagement a post gets it in its first five hours. This could mean being ready in those first few seconds to respond significantly to any feedback, whether it is good or bad. One comment could make all the difference to a consumer’s reaction.
15. 60% of consumers say the integration of social media makes them more likely to share a product or service. It is pretty clear there is a lot of potential in social media to help build a brand and following, so don’t waste it in 2014!

By Content Manager – Astrid Hall – @AstridGiraffeSM