5 Facebook Stats Every Social Media Marketer Should Understand
February 4, 2019
Facebook is one of the top forms of social media, despite their hardships throughout 2017 and 2018 with Cambridge Analytica. While it may not be the most popular among younger users, it still takes the cake in the marketing world with more than 90% of social media advertising flooding its pages.
If you’re new to the social media marketing scene, or you’ve been part of the Facebook advertising game but changed things up recently, there are a few statistics you should consider. Aside from having such a high number of advertisers on its platform, Facebook also has some very forthcoming users. This means there’s plenty of information on what works and doesn’t work for this social media giant’s users.
Throughout this article, you’ll learn more about 5 statistics that are changing the way marketers look at Facebook.
1. Mobile App Users Rising to the Occasion: Mobile friendly websites and social media apps have long been an important part of the internet, but recent stats for 2018 show that almost half of all Facebook users are accessing the site through their mobile devices. Mobile Facebook users make up 47% of the platform, and while this number is a little less than half, these are the users who seem most active, making it important to create content with mobile readability.
What does this mean for business owners? It means that all your content should be optimized for mobile users. From video streaming and images to content length, there are ways to make your content better visible over a mobile device. Experts suggest using vertical photos for easier viewing and links to external video streaming sites, rather than embedding your own video to a website, which could delay loading.
2. Facebook is the Perfect Platform for Special Promotions: One of the reasons many social media users connect to business pages on Facebook is because of the promotional offers they receive. Unlike a website which may not update content as frequently, or connect to consumers as personally, a social media page can run special contests, promotions, and even supply coupons to those who follow and like their page.
Studies show that approximately 39% of consumers on Facebook connect to businesses for the special promotions. Let’s face it, business pages aren’t generally as exciting as a friend or colleague’s page where people are posting about their latest party, romance or posting shots of their pets and families. So, there must be a reason for consumers to connect with these business pages, and promotional content is the perfect reason.
3. Keeping Ad Titles Short Pays Off: A recent stats pull of Facebook users and content shows that while content heavy profiles are more easily found through a search on Google, users are less likely to click on something that appears long-winded. This means that creating high-quality content over lengthy content is key.
So, how do you properly describe what users will find inside an ad without turning it into clickbait? Experts suggest following up your short 4-5-word title with a 15-20 word description in the link. How does this change the game as far as users are concerned? They see a short title which is to the point; it shows them what’s on the other end of your link. Then the description gives just a taste of what’s over there, drawing the user in.
4. Closed Captions Draw in Users: Videos on Facebook are great visual aids and an attractive feature of any post. Sudden loud noises coming out of your phone in the middle of a meeting, on a bus, or in a public library, however, are not. In fact, 80% of users have said they find Facebook videos which play sound automatically to be an annoyance rather than an attraction.
Stats for closed caption videos suggest viewing standards increase by 12% when sound doesn’t auto-play and captions are present so viewers can watch quietly instead. What does this mean for you as a business? By including captions and allowing the user to opt into sound on his or her own, your video and future videos become a more attractive post to consumers.
5. Older Audiences Use Facebook Too: Most businesses assume that social media marketing should be catered toward a younger crowd. While it’s true that about 35% of Facebook users are under the age of 25, there’s also a large market, approximately 41% of users, over the age of 65. This is huge for companies looking to market their products or services to an older client base.
Computers are no longer the mystery they once were. Everybody and their Aunt Sue can use the internet and has some form of social media. Whether they post regularly or simply scan the influx of content for something to do on a boring Wednesday afternoon is unimportant; what you need to know is that they’re there and looking at your content.
These statistics will change over the coming year, but for now they pose a perfect jumping off point to marketers looking to improve lead generation, consumer interaction and traffic. Consider making changes which help put your social media posts in line with the latest Facebook statistic and keep an eye on social media news for newer stats as they appear. These statistics are the map to internet marketing success and will help you avoid unnecessary pitfalls in the future.