17 Social Media Marketing Stats You Should Know

The social media ad market is expected to hit $255 billion by 2028 thanks to the nearly 5 billion people who use social media globally. Here are the social media marketing stats you need to know.

Monitoring social media marketing stats and trends can help you maximize your impact and stay relevant to the billions of daily active users.

Whether your audience is made up of habitual YouTube users, TikTok scrollers, or Pinterest shoppers, social channels offer unique opportunities to connect with existing — and new — audiences.

We compiled the latest social media stats to inspire your marketing campaigns. They inform the revenue-generating paid social media campaigns we manage for our clients, and they can help you, too.

HawkSEM’s  Associate Director of Paid Media, Magnolia Deuell, also offers her expert predictions on the future of social media so you can plan for what’s to come.

Ready to ignite impressions, likes, follows, and conversions, and build a cult following on social media? Keep reading.

Social media marketing stats at a glance

• The social media ad market is expected to hit $255.77 billion by 2028 (Statista)
• Nano-influencers now have the highest post engagement rate across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (and account for 65% of all Instagram influencers) (Shopify)
• An estimated 4.9 billion people use social media globally (Forbes)
• TikTok advertising revenue is expected to hit almost $54 billion worldwide by 2028 (Statista)
• Instagram has the highest ROI for in-app product sales (HubSpot)
• Vertical video ads on X receive an engagement rate 7x greater than home timeline ads (Hootsuite)

17 social media marketing stats and trends

Whether your audience hangs out on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or beyond, social channels offer unique opportunities to connect with existing and new audiences. (Image: Adobe)

Gen Z loves to shop, Baby Boomers thrive on Facebook, video content reigns supreme, and Pinterest is a revenue-generating secret weapon. Let’s take a deep dive into the data.

1. Ad spending for social media is expected to hit $255 billion by 2028 (Statista)

That figure entails some seriously deep pockets pumped into social media campaigns.

Clients often wonder which is better: Google Ads or social media ads. Based on successful campaigns, a two-pronged strategy is ideal to attract, and convert, your customers.

Plus, you can toggle campaign schedules to display ads on social marketing channels when your audience is most active, which improves your ROAS (return on ad spend).

(Image: HawkSEM)

Paid social media ads offer unique benefits. A Facebook or Instagram Ad campaign will help you find an audience with hobbies and interests aligned with your business.

Once you have their attention, you can humanize your brand by sharing helpful information and tips, as well as starting conversations they find interesting and valuable.

From there, you’ve built trust, and that trust translates to that multi-billion dollar pie comprising the social media ad market.

The kicker? You need to catch social media users before they keyword or search terms into Google.

How? By working with social media algorithms to capture potential customers based on their viewing history and engagement habits.

Next up: is Facebook still relevant in 2024?

2. Facebook is (still) the most popular social media channel for marketers globally (Statista)

Facebook boasts a whopping 2.96 billion monthly users. (Image: Adobe)

Does that surprise you? Facebook seems to be on a social downslide, but don’t underestimate the age group that uses Facebook the most: Baby Boomers.

The platform boasts nearly 3 billion monthly users, and they like to shop.

No wonder 91% of social media marketers use Facebook to reach their customers.

Still, Statista mentions that despite the channel’s worldwide popularity, marketers plan to reduce their Facebook efforts in the near future.

(Image: HawkSEM)

Instagram is a close second, with 86% of marketers using the platform, followed by B2B marketers on LinkedIn at 80%.

Why is Facebook still a good spot to spend ad dollars? We like it for its affordability, visual impact for retailers, and relatively high engagement, especially for brands in the ecommerce, automotive, travel, and non-profit spaces.

3. Number of social media users expected to hit 6 billion in 2028 (Statista)

The sheer reach potential of social media makes it a valuable tool for exposure, a purpose guiding most marketing professionals. And the number of daily active users only continues to rise every year.

But the sheer number of people on social media doesn’t mean you’ll see success. We’ve seen plenty of social media campaigns that fall flat.

The best way to catch the snags? Conducting a social media audit. This process helps you itemize every aspect of your campaigns, from performance and audience analysis to cohesion across content.

With this insight, you’ll understand which social channels, content types, and scheduling engages and converts your audience, and which fall short.

The end goal of a social media audit is to tweak your strategy to improve engagement and conversions.

Not sure where to start? We’d love to help.

4. An estimated 4.9 billion people use social media globally (Forbes)

And this number is expected to grow to 5.85 billion by 2027.

With internet users spending an average of 145 minutes on social media, and spread across multiple platforms, there’s never been as much opportunity for social media marketing as there is now.

And whichever channel your audience spends most of their time, short-form videos seem to be the preferred media format to consume, capturing the attention of 66% of consumers on average.

And speaking of short-form videos:

5. TikTok is expected to generate almost $14 billion in ad revenue by 2026 (Statista)

TikTok is a favorite video advertising channel for its competitively lower CPM (cost per mille, or cost per one thousand impressions) to other platforms. (Image: Adobe)

If a picture paints 1,000 words, how many can a video portray? TikTok is making it rain, but why are marketers pumping serious ad dollars into the platform?

Maybe it’s because the average person watches videos for 19 hours a week online.

Furthermore, TikTok is a favorite video advertising channel for its competitively lower CPM (cost per mille, or cost per one thousand impressions) to other platforms.

But Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts pose significant competition. TikTok has faced some political challenges recently, with the U.S. threatening to ban the platform from American government devices.

Despite the controversy, videos are quick converters, and you don’t necessarily need TikTok to reap the benefits.

A strong takeaway here is the power of video across various platforms.

Facebook users spend over half of their time on the app watching videos and Instagram Reels generate double the reach compared to other posts.

Looking to slide into a money-making content gap? Video content is your ticket.

6. Instagram Reels have a user reach of 892% for accounts with small followings (Statista)

Instagram brands with 500 followers or less could achieve an 892% reach versus a 77% reach from feed posts. (Image: Adobe)

Are you a small business? Then we have good news: you don’t need to hit influencer status to reach thousands of Instagram users.

All you need is Reels.

Statista found that Instagram brands with 500 followers or less could achieve an 892% reach versus a 77% reach from feed posts.

Meaning? The more followers you have, the lower your reach.

Those Reels figures start to peter off the more followers you have, hitting only 64% for accounts with 50K followers or more.

So if you have a small following, Reel Ads are your new best friend. You can reach immense numbers of followers through their mobile devices while they’re watching their favorite Reels, blending seamlessly if you have a strong enough hook and concept.

But before you whip out your iPhone and go bananas on filming, remember that people can like, share, comment, and save a Reel Ad for later. Instead of selling, focus on sparking conversations and building trust.

7. Zara was the most mentioned brand on Instagram in 2023 (Upfluence)

Imagine the traffic you’d get on your website if you were mentioned 182,000 times on Instagram.

Influencer Marketing Hub chalks these impressive numbers up to Zara’s 66,000 influencers that regularly post about their products. The combined impact? A long reach of more than 1.2 billion people.

If you look at the fashion giant’s social media posts, you’ll see it spares nothing when it comes to eye-popping visuals, suspenseful product launches, and rich, brand-aligned messaging.

Zara also joins trending conversations about social issues, from Pride to International Women’s Day.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to stay relevant and harness influencer marketing to supercharge your reach, take a note from Zara’s playbook.

8. 26% of men use X compared to only 19% of women (Hootsuite)

We’ve known that X (formerly Twitter) users encompass more men than women.

But before you write off X Ads due to your primarily female audience, remember that you can target audiences based on other demographics.

It’s important to note that its conversion tracking doesn’t quite stack up to Google’s. Plus, you won’t enjoy as many reporting features or quick results, especially if you’re a smaller business.

But if you have a niche audience that spends a lot of time on Twitter, it’s worth the investment.

Just remember that you’ll need a detailed reporting mechanism to track and improve your progress.

Our proprietary tech, ConversionIQ, keeps us up-to-date with metrics and results in real-time for all social media and search platforms, including Twitter.

9. TikTok advertising revenue is expected to hit almost $54 billion worldwide by 2028 (Statista)

In the U.S. alone, TikTok generated 4 billion dollars in ad revenue in 2022. In 2024, that number is expected to double — and nearly quadruple by 2026.

Suffice to say, TikTok is growing rapidly. In fact, TikTok experienced an impressive 215% growth rate in brand value back in 2022, with the vast majority of TikTok users being a younger (and previously harder to reach) generation.

While TikTok still has a ways to go to reach Facebook’s level of popularity, its rate of growth is explosive and offers social media marketers a huge opportunity to engage with a Gen Z audience (followed closely, of course, by Snapchat).

10. Nano-influencers have the highest post engagement rate across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (Shopify)

Nano-influencers generate more audience trust, thanks to their intimate social media environment of only 1,000 to 4,999 followers.

They offer more one-on-one engagement and reply to comments, and this personalization pays off on social media.

Now that’s not to say influencers with larger followings don’t spark conversions, but they tend to have more brand partnerships, and their audiences may be more discriminating in trusting their recommendations.

If you want to build brand awareness, boost traffic, enhance thought leadership, and garner more leads? Nano-influencers take the lead. .

11. Over 60% of brands will increase their influencer marketing budget over 2024 (Influencer Marketing Hub)

The trending power of influencers continues throughout 2024. Listen up SaaS brands, because influencer marketing will be more important for your content marketing strategy than ever this year.

Your sales cycle is lengthy, and you’re asking for a monthly transaction versus just one purchase. This makes customers more selective about which software to subscribe to.

The solution for building trust and outlining the benefits that make your product subscriber-worthy? Influencers.

Long gone are the days of the hard sell. Today, people want to buy into a story, not just a product. Influencers help to foster that story, illuminating how your offering solves a common problem.

What better way to convince audiences why your brand is worth it than with a recommendation from someone they trust?

12. Vertical video ads on X receive an engagement rate 7x greater than home timeline ads (Hootsuite)

X (formerly Twitter) took notes on the success of video formats across other social platforms, announcing the introduction of vertical video ads in early 2024.

With video views growing at an average rate of 35% year over year (YoY), X expanded Vertical Video Ads to advertisers globally, “enabling a full-screen, sound-on advertising experience on X’s fastest-growing video surface.”

13. Instagram has the highest ROI for in-app product sales (HubSpot)

Here’s an image: you’re scrolling on Instagram and notice a unique kitchen appliance. You click on it, browse the Instagram store, and then move on.

Hours later, you open the app again, and a wave of other unique kitchen appliances pop up in your feed.

The Instagram algorithm knows what you want, and it’s delivering it to your digital doorstep in spades.

With that in mind, have you updated your Instagram shop yet? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on serious ROI this year, according to HubSpot.

HubSpot points out that Instagram has the most developed social shopping tools, closely followed by Facebook. When the shopping experience is a breeze, people are more apt to buy.

Slide into conversion-ripe audiences with flawlessly aesthetic shopping ads and curated posts that compel purchases.

14. 36% of Gen Z searches for brands on social media apps over search engines (Forbes)

When you think of SEO, you think of Google. And if you have an older user base, maybe Bing. But marketers need to shift their SEO strategy to include social media apps as well, especially for a Gen Z and millennial audience.

If you have branded keywords for Google, don’t stop there. Use them on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as well.

So, how do you optimize your social media accounts for SEO? HubSpot shares three strategies:

• Use relevant keywords and hashtags in posts, captions, and your bio
• Choose a searchable username. Avoid long-winded, special-character-filled handles
• Adopt the same username across different platforms for cohesion and continuity

15. 80% of weekly Pinterest users have found a new brand or product on the platform (Sprout Social)

Pinterest is a visual search engine, making it an ideal place for people to find new brands and products — which 80% of users do.

This pairs nicely with the fact that people who use Pinterest tend to earn more money, likely accounting for their higher monthly spending.

In fact, Pinterest reaches 40% of US households with an annual income over $150K..

That means Pinterest users are open to new brands and ready to make new purchasing decisions.

For a social media platform that is often overlooked, Pinterest has a whole lot of digital marketing opportunities to offer.

16. Facebook has almost 3 billion monthly active users (Statista)

That number has consistently increased over the last 15 years. Facebook boasts the highest number of users across all social networks, including Instagram, YouTube, and X.

While marketers should certainly take note of the growing popularity of other networks, it’s important to remember that Facebook is still King.

Facebook users tend to take their time scrolling through the feed, too, spending an average 33 minutes per day on the app.

Now, are all these users evenly distributed across the world? Not quite. But if you have a target audience in the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, or India, you’ll want to roll out a Facebook Ads campaign.

17. 87% of marketers attribute video marketing to a growth in sales (Sprout Social)

Sensing a theme here? Video marketing is on the rise.

In fact, 44% of people would rather learn about a new product or service through short-form video.

Sprout Social notes that brands that create around 30-60 short-form videos see the most success, not to mention the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy.

Short-form videos offer the opportunity to be engaging, while remaining authentic (and funny!). A winning combo for audiences across platforms.

Need a helping hand? We’ve got you covered with our paid social media marketing services!

Social media forecasting: What the experts say

What does the future of social media marketing look like? Here, we turned to Deuell for her expert insights.

“Two trends I’m keeping my eyes on in the social space are Metaverse and nano-trends/influencers,” says Deuell. “While Metaverse is still emerging, I am anticipating the release of new virtual ad and brand experiences.”

As for nano-influencers, Deuell has seen first hand that more advertisers are leaning into these partnerships to capitalize on niche communities and trends.

“I wouldn’t say the micro-influencer thing is new,” says Deuell, “[it’s just that] bigger brands are starting to buy into it more and more.”

Audible is a great example of this.

“They partner with content creators like book bloggers and podcasters and the content looks so similar to what the community normally posts and talks about,” says Deuell.

Finally, Deuell mentions that social shopping is also something to look out for — especially after Amazon announced a partnership with TikTok (in addition to Meta and Snapchat). “In my opinion,” says Deuell, “this just solidifies why you need a really cohesive brand strategy and voice.”

The takeaway

TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, even Reddit — phew.

It’s no secret that gaining a social media presence is an enormous undertaking. After all, the statistics, figures, and trends are constantly evolving.

Each of these mobile apps comes with unique challenges and nuances for every target audience across the world’s population.

Plus, shifts in politics, customer behavior, and costs will constantly challenge today’s social media marketer. Use these statistics to stay ahead of the changing tides and build marketing efforts that reach the right audience.

We’ve seen firsthand the revenue potential of a solid social media marketing strategy, from exponential traffic increases to sky-high conversions.

We’re here to step up your game and transform you into a trendsetter so that this time next year, your brand will be the success story used as an example for how to slay social media marketing.

Ready to get down to business with social media marketing? Let’s talk.

This article has been updated and was originally published in May 2023.