Social Media Marketing Statistics

It’s the 21st century and guess what? Social media is everywhere these days. One thing which remained common despite the COVID-19 pandemic was that most of the population remained online. We, humans, are embracing technology that connects us with others like never before.

In fact, we have become socially inclined creatures. Back then, not everyone knew what social media was, but now almost everyone uses social media. This has created a huge potential for marketers to reach a huge crowd of engaged audiences on social media.

If you are a person on the lookout for social media marketing strategies for your brand, then this article is for you. This compilation of the latest social media marketing statistics will help you gain insights into the dynamics of social media platforms.

Buckle up! Let’s explore the latest social media marketing statistics at once!

On this page, you’ll find:


Key Social Media Marketing Statistics

Here are the top stats from the article below:


  • Across social media platforms, there are currently more than 3.6 billion users, which is estimated to grow to 4.41 billion by 2025. (Sprout Social)
  • To respond and manage issues and inquiries over social media, 55% of marketing teams collaborate with support teams. (Salesforce)
  • The primary goal for using social media is to increase brand awareness according to 69% of marketers. (Sprout Social)
  • The performance to date (59%), social goals and objectives (57%), customer feedback (52%), trending topics and interests (45%), and business goals and objectives (36%) are the top factors that influence marketers’ approach to social media. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
  • Social media was used by a majority of 90.8% of Millennials in 2020. (eMarketer)
  • An average of 2 hours and 25 minutes per day is spent by people on messaging and social media networks. (We Are Social)
  • Globally, Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform, with over 2.74 billion active monthly users as of January 2021. (We Are Social)
  • In the U.S., 54.5% of Facebook users are female and 45.5% are male as of December 2020. (Napoleon Cat)
  • Every month, Instagram has around one billion active users. (eMarketer)
  • In 2019, Instagram is estimated to have brought in $20 billion in ad revenue. (Bloomberg)

General Social Media Marketing Statistics

The way people live their lives these days has been transformed by social media. It is one of the primary marketing channels and has become the new fashion of marketing. To reach your target audience, you need to have a piece of sound knowledge on effective social media marketing strategies. Let us first look at some general social media marketing statistics to gain knowledge about the social media platforms.


  • Across social media platforms, there are currently more than 3.6 billion users, which is estimated to grow to 4.41 billion by 2025. (Sprout Social)
  • To respond and manage issues and inquiries over social media, 55% of marketing teams collaborate with support teams. (Salesforce)
  • The biggest threat to digital brand engagement according to 65.7% of marketers is social media algorithm changes. (Bynder)
  • The best ROI for their digital marketing strategy is social media marketing for 69% of marketers. (Prophet)
  • In the U.S, 90% of businesses were using social media marketing in 2017. (Business of Apps)
  • Social media stories are considered an effective part of their social media marketing strategy by 57% of businesses. (Buffer)
  • 78% of brands either have invested in social advertising or plan to do so by the next year. (Hootsuite)
  • To research products, 54% of shoppers visit social media channels. (Global Web Index)
  • Compared to 2020 Q1, worldwide social media ad spending increased by 26.1% in 2020 Q2. (Socialbakers)
  • At a CAGR of 21.3%, social media ad spending is estimated to grow to about $49 billion by the end of 2021 from $40.34 billion in 2020. (eMarketer)

Usage of Social Media in Businesses

An effective online presence on top social media platforms is inevitable for businesses these days. Gone are the days when a marketer needs to convince people to buy their company’s products or services. A marketer needs to know how to convert a social media lead to a sale. Businesses are forced to speed up their digital transformation journey due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us dive into some statistics on how businesses benefit from social media.


  • The primary goal for using social media is to increase brand awareness according to 69% of marketers. (Sprout Social)
  • The performance to date (59%), social goals and objectives (57%), customer feedback (52%), trending topics and interests (45%), and business goals and objectives (36%) are the top factors that influence marketers’ approach to social media. (Influencer Marketing Hub)
  • To learn about new products and services (57%), to stay current with company news (47%), to learn about discounts and promotions (40%), to be entertained (40%), and to be educated (34%) are the top reasons why people follow brands on social media. (Sprout Social)
  • Social media marketing is essentially effective for 73% of marketers. (Buffer)
  • Social media is a key element for effective marketing strategy for 62% of small businesses. (Visual Objects)
  • 55% of customers proceed to buy a product after learning about that product on social media. (Kleiner Perkins)
  • The posts of brands that people follow on social media influence 78% of consumers. (Power Digital)
  • Operational units of 54% of businesses use social media. (Hootsuite)
  • Social media is used by 40.4% of internet users aged 16-54 for their jobs. (We Are Social)
  • Poor quality of product or support (49%), poor customer service (49%), irrelevant content (45%), too many ads (45%), privacy concerns (39%), negative press (29%), corporate scandal (26%), and too many posts (24%) are the reasons why consumers unfollow brands on social media. (Social Sprout)

Demographics of Social Media Users

By knowing the demographic makeup of the targeted social media audience, one can create an effective social media marketing strategy. Understanding the demographics can help marketers gain a better understanding of how to increase their lead conversions and expand their market reach. Now, let us look into some statistics on the demographics of social media users that will help you fine-tune your marketing strategies.


  • Social media was used by a majority of 90.8% of Millennials in 2020. (eMarketer)
  • An average of 2 hours and 25 minutes per day is spent by people on messaging and social media networks. (We Are Social)
  • 79% of the U.S. population use at least one social media network as of 2019. (The Infinite Dial)
  • In the U.S., 76% of females and 72% of males use social media. (Backlinko)
  • To connect with people, 7 of 10 Americans use social media. (Pew Research Center)
  • The top-most used social media networks in the U.K. are Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. (Cast from Clay)
  • In China, 70% of Gen-Z consumers buy directly from social media platforms. (Hootsuite)
  • The regions having the highest social media penetration rate are Western and Northern Europe at 79%. (We Are Social)
  • The Philippines has the highest social media usage rate in the world from 2016 to 2020. (Data Reportal)
  • Taiwan (89%), South Korea (85%), Maldives (78%), Malaysia (74%), and Singapore (72%) are the countries with the most active mobile social penetrations. (We Are Social)

Facebook Statistics

Any guesses on how many people use Facebook? You would be amazed to know the fact that Facebook would be the densely populated place in the world if it were a country. Currently, the largest social media site in the world is Facebook. It is an excellent platform for marketers to sell their products to a huge audience. Let us now look into some fascinating Facebook statistics.


  • Globally, Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform, with over 2.74 billion active monthly users as of January 2021. (We Are Social)
  • In the U.S. 54.5% of Facebook users are female and 45.5% are male as of December 2020. (Napoleon Cat)
  • Story ads on Facebook are used by 4.6% of marketers. (Buffer)
  • Around 800 million consumers across 70 countries use Facebook. (Hootsuite)
  • 96% of active users accessed their Facebook account through mobile devices in January 2019. (Statista)
  • A user spends an average of 58 minutes on Facebook every day. (Broadband Search)
  • On Facebook, there are more than 90 million small businesses as of 2019. (Facebook)
  • For every Facebook post, brands see a 0.09% median engagement rate. (Rival IQ)
  • As of 2020, $0.39 was the average cost per click (CPC) for ads on Facebook. (AdEspresso)
  • Facebook has become the most effective ad channel with 83% of marketers paying for ads on Facebook. (Kleiner Perkins)

Instagram Statistics

Have you at any point in your life thought that you would be able to tag people on Instagram just like you would tag them on Facebook? Instagram has become more than just a social media platform for Millennials to interact with others. Let us now explore some Instagram statistics that will enable you to use the right potential of the platform and improve your marketing strategies.


  • Every month, Instagram has around one billion active users. (eMarketer)
  • In 2019, Instagram is estimated to have brought in $20 billion in ad revenue. (Bloomberg)
  • Instagram has the most teen engagement at 84% (CNBC)
  • Every second, at least 995 photos are uploaded on Instagram
  • 35% of American adults use Instagram. (Business2Community)
  • Compared to an Instagram image, an Instagram video creates 21.2% more interactions. (Quintly)
  • 79% of the U.S. population use at least one social media network as of 2019. (Omnicore)
  • On Instagram, 19.3% of brands invest in story ads. (Buffer)
  • Compared to Facebook, Instagram ad spending is 23% more. (Digiday)
  • Instagram accounts for about 10.7% of the total U.S. referral share to E-commerce websites. (eMarketer)
  • With 244 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person on Instagram as of December 2020. (Social Blade)

Frequently Asked Questions

Undoubtedly, social media continues to grow in size day by day. Currently, over 3.6 billion people are active on social media platforms globally. The number is predicted to increase to 4.41 billion by 2025.

Social media was started for entertainment purposes, and now it has evolved into a powerful marketing tool. In 2021, social media is used for marketing purposes by about 91.9% of U.S. marketers in companies with more than 100 employees.

With no surprise, Facebook is the fastest growing social media platform. It continues to dominate with the number of active monthly users. As of January 2021, there are 2.74 billion active monthly Facebook users.

Social media platforms help to easily spread the word about your company’s products or services and thereby create brand awareness. It provides you with an opportunity to attract your target audience and interact with them. Linking social media to your website increases your traffic.

Small businesses ramp up their social media marketing by first identifying their target audience and then build healthy and engaging relationships with them. Contents have to be posted frequently and appropriate hashtags have to be used to attract your audience.

Conclusion

The impact that the social media marketing statistics listed here in this article are going to have on your business is compelling. These days, social media platforms have a strong social, economic, and cultural impact. With its per-country penetration continuing to rise across the world, social media is transcending geographic and cultural boundaries.

Just like how marketers know to use any other marketing channels, they must also know how to effectively use social media platforms to achieve the desired results.

Author: Shubham Calmblay

Shubham Calmblay, founder of appsthatdeliver.com, has a decade of experience with various Google products. He has authored 1,000+ guides for ATD, published on prestigious tech blogs. His work has garnered recognition from Protocol.com, Leadsbridge.com, MadMobile.com, and numerous other leading publications and corporations.