Audience Size of Social Media Platforms 2017 – Facebook
With 2.8 billion active social media users worldwide, it’s become more crucial than ever for advertisers to understand who exactly these users are, and how they’re spending their time online. It’s no secret that there are a ton of social networks out there—it seems like every time we turn around there’s another app or “next big thing” in the world of social media that everybody is talking about. But who exactly is “everybody” and why is it important for advertisers to know? This installment is the first of a three-part series that will answer just that!
Facebook audience size, statistics and trends
Navigating the world of social media as a marketer or advertiser is almost like being dropped into a high school cafeteria. Each table, or platform, boasts its own clique that attracts a unique group or demographic of people. The social elements of identity and communication that are present at each table create unspoken rules of how to behave at each. And with the overwhelming presence of social media penetrating people of just about every age, social status, and geographic location, there is more information available than ever that can help us to understand the social media climate today.
When it comes to Facebook, for example, the majority of its 1.9 billion monthly users are females between the ages of 18-49. While the networking site was originally geared toward college-aged Millennials, it has since evolved into a booming hub of Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers, many spending almost 7 hours a week chatting, sharing, and liking content. About three quarters of its users spend 20 minutes or more a day on the platform—far more than any other social media out there. (Runners up include Snapchat with just 11 minutes of app use per day, followed by Instagram, whose users spend about 10 minutes a day on the picture-sharing app.) Why does this matter? A longer time on site makes Facebook an obvious choice for more lengthy video content, allowing advertisers to reach people in more exciting and eye-catching ways.
Not only are viewers spending more time on Facebook than any other social media, but Facebook also has an almost 100% reach among people aged 18-34. To put this into perspective, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn all fall between reaching just 50%-65% of the same age group. Facebook’s dominance in today’s cutthroat social landscape is highlighted nicely in this article showing the penetration and engagement of Facebook as compared to other social medias. In fact, Facebook and Facebook-owned companies hold 3 of the top 5 spots on the list. What does all of this mean, exactly? Simply put, it means that Facebook is prime real estate for reaching, targeting, and engaging Millennials and Gen-Xers. What’s more, it’s also the fastest growing social media platform—great news for advertisers.
Why do advertisers care?
Thanks to the introduction of Facebook stories, live streaming, and a plethora of new post reactions, it’s become easier than ever for users to connect with brands, share feelings, and get in on the action wherever they are. Advertisers are given so much information about Facebook users that it’s theoretically possible to complete a scarily accurate personal profile for each type of user, as well as predict and influence their shopping habits. Marketers can not only gather general demographics about each audience, but they can dive into their motivations and even gauge their likeliness to buy a certain product. Targeted audiences help to hone in on exactly these people, so that businesses don’t waste advertising budget on people who aren’t likely to buy.
Put all of these moving parts together, and it’s easy to see why many companies turn to advertisers and digital marketing agencies to manage and monitor their advertising. Digital ad agencies prevent wasted ad spend by determining which social media platforms are most likely to grow brand awareness, spark engagement, or drive conversions, based on what the goals of the business are. They can use expert targeting strategies to find which content, budgets, creatives, copy and any other ad variations are most effective for reaching those goals.
What you need to know
It’s clear that Facebook is the ultimate platform for reaching consumers. With its superior growth rate, user time on site and frequency of use, and market reach, it’s no wonder that other social media platforms have been struggling to stay afloat. Advertisers can use the information gathered by the habits and activities of its users to make predictions of their audience’s purchase intent.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to keep a look out for upcoming blogs where we discuss the audience trends of Instagram and Twitter in 2017 and how advertisers can benefit by understanding them!
