TOP TALK

2017 Social Stats To Drive Your 2018 Strategy

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New year, new social strategy, but that doesn’t mean leaving the data of 2017 behind. Last year’s social data is packed full of valuable insights to drive your social strategy into the new year. For example, at Social Media Week Chicago we learned that paid social media efforts will triple in size within the next five years, a fact that will completely transform many social programs. But that’s just a start. We’ve pulled together stats for all of the top platforms to focus and strengthen your social strategy this coming year and beyond.

Twitter

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Responsible for making the #hashtag what it is today, Twitter is arguably the most in-the-moment social media platform. Twitter users thrive in real-time, covering everything from comedy to political campaigns, and making so much noise that it’s sometimes difficult for brands to stand out. That’s why keeping your target as tuned to this platform as possible is key to breaking through. Keep these stats in mind to help bring your brand to the center of the Twitterverse:

Facebook

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Holding strong as the behemoth of the social media world, Facebook is often viewed as a must-use for social media marketers. But over the past year, the platform has implemented a slew of updates shifting preference away from brands. It’s not quite time to give up on the social media giant just yet for organic content, however. Here are the must know stats:

Instagram

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For all things visual, Instagram is the place to be. The photo-based social platform’s Stories feature has helped push Instagram’s population to over 800 million monthly active users in 2017. On the tails of an algorithm change for the platform, consider these stats to continue making a splash:

  • Instagram has 500 million daily active users and over 200 million business profiles.
  • 95% of Instagram users are 35 and under.
  • 80% of Instagram users are outside of the U.S.
  • There’s little correlation between caption text length and engagement rate on Instagram, but the average caption is 138 characters long.
  • Photos showing faces get 38% more Likes than photos not showing faces, and images with a single dominant color generate 29% more Likes than those with multiple dominant colors. A high amount of negative space within an image also generates 29% more Likes.
  • Posts that tag another handle gain 56% more engagement, while posts with a location receive 79% more engagement. Adding at least one hashtag increases engagement on an average of 12.6%.
  • 32% of US teens list Instagram as their most important social network, and U.S. adult Instagram users have doubled since 2012.
  • 75% of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website, after looking at an Instagram advertising post.
  • 60% of the top brands on Instagram use the same filter for every post, and most top brands post 4.9 times per week.
  • Engagement with brands on Instagram is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

Snapchat

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As the first social platform based on ephemeral content, mastering marketing on Snapchat continues to be a learning process. While 2017 was a little rough for Snapchat, Snap, Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel announced an upcoming Snapchat redesign, focusing on a new algorithmic feed and increased abilities for advertisers. Time will tell the platform’s success, so take a look at the final stats from Snapchat as we know it:

LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is the go-to social platform for professional content, making it key for B2B marketers. After the platform was acquired by Microsoft, LinkedIn introduced updates like the Audience Network and a push for video content. Here’s how to keep your brand looked polished and professional:


As 2018 gets underway, don’t leave last year completely behind. Analyzing 2017’s data to learn from successes and mistakes and to make an informed plan for what’s next is a big part of making sure this is your brands’ best social year yet.

 

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