The state of social media in 2019 offers a rich text for the future of the platform’s power in the coming decade.
Social Media Growth Continues
The percentage of US adults who use at least one social media site grew from 69% to 72% over the past year, a 10% jump from 2014. When broken down by age this growth was consistent across all generations including a 5% bump in 50-64 year-olds and 3% bump in those 65+.
Even as older social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter turn 15 and 13 respectively, new consumers across the ages are still finding value in joining social media platforms. The social media market has not reached full saturation yet and while it’s audience skews (and is perceived to be) younger, all ages are seeing audience growth.
The Importance Of Mobile
Social media came before the advent of the modern smart phone but now the two share a symbiotic relationship and grow in tandem with each other. 91% of all social media users access social media through mobile devices and nearly 80% of all social media activity happens on mobile devices.
What’s the takeaway for brands? Think mobile first in all digital facing properties. If you have a specific call-to-action going out on social media make sure the user’s online experience from landing page to site navigation to filling out any information, is entirely mobile friendly. The higher the degree of difficulty a user faces the more likely they are to drop out of the sales funnel.
Ad Innovation
Facebook introduced an ad library, Snapchat gave businesses a way to create ads more seamlessly in their app, and LinkedIn improved their ad targeting in 2019. These are just a few of the many adjustments social media outlets made to cater to advertisers this past year and there are certainly more to come in 2020.
The reason? Both B2B and B2C companies are continuing to beef up their social media budgets year over year and platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are jostling to be the recipient of said funds. The takeaway for businesses and brands? The online ad marketplace is going to continue to get more and more crowded and the challenge for businesses will be to separate themselves from the pack.