The recently released Digital 2023 report from DataReportal provides an abundance of fascinating data regarding the major social media platforms. According to the report, as of January 2023, nearly all Americans, 91.8% or 311.3 million, use the internet, with the majority, 72.5% or 246 million, making use of social media. Interestingly, there are more active mobile connections than there are Americans, amounting to 383.4 million, equivalent to 113.1% of the total U.S. population.
On an average day, individuals aged 16-64 spend 6 hours and 59 minutes using the internet, with 2 hours and 18 minutes spent on social media. It’s crucial not to make the mistake of assuming that social media users are limited to a younger demographic. Further inspection of the social media statistics shows that out of the 246 million social media users, 235.1 million were 18 or older, 88.6% of the population, with 53.9% of them identifying as women.
For small businesses, this means that it’s essential to have a website, as only 71% of small businesses do, optimized for mobile usage. Additionally, if you want to reach consumers, being active on social media is crucial.
Social media serves a variety of purposes for Americans, with the top six reasons, according to DataReportal, being: keeping in touch with friends and family (56.7%), filling spare time (39.1%), finding content (28.5%), seeing what’s being talked about (26.8%), reading news stories (26.4%), and finding inspiration for things to do and buy (24.7%). Furthermore, 18.4% of individuals use social media to view content from businesses, and 18.2% use social media to find products to purchase.
As a result, businesses must establish a solid social media marketing strategy that aims to create a robust online presence and engage with potential customers. Here are some steps that companies can take to create a successful social media strategy:
1. Define your target audience: Identify your ideal customer and the channels they use most frequently. This approach helps you focus your efforts and tailor your content to their preferences.
2. Set goals: Determine what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
3. Choose the right platforms: Select the social media platforms that align with your target audience and goals.
4. Create a content plan: Align your content plan with your goals and audience preferences, establish a regular posting schedule, and create a mix of content types, such as text, images, videos, and stories.
5. Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and messages promptly.
6. Monitor your performance: Keep track of your social media performance by monitoring your analytics regularly. Use the data to adjust your strategy, optimize your content, and increase engagement.
7. Experiment and iterate: Experiment with new content types, platforms, and tactics to determine what works best for your business.
To fully understand the latest social media statistics in the U.S. from the DataReportal report, it’s essential to take a closer look at each platform’s numbers.
Facebook has 175 million U.S. users, with 60.9% of the eligible audience able to view ads, amounting to Americans aged 13 and above. Instagram has 143.4 million U.S. users, and 49.9% of the eligible audience can view ads. Meanwhile, YouTube has 246 million users, and 72.5% of the total U.S. population (79% of U.S. internet users) can view ads. TikTok has 113.3 million U.S. users, and 42.7% of the U.S. population aged 18 or above can view ads. LinkedIn has 200 million U.S. Members, with 75.47% of the eligible U.S. population (Americans aged 18 and older) able to view ads. Lastly, Snapchat has 107.4 million U.S. users, with 37.4% of the eligible U.S. population able to view ads.
Monitoring social media for results is more critical now than ever, as this has been a tumultuous year for many social media platforms. It’s essential to remember that social media is just one piece of the overall marketing strategy, and it should complement and support other marketing efforts, such as email marketing, SEO, and advertising.
