There are so many fascinating stories and innovations when it comes to social media in 2019—and by “stories” we don’t just mean the mixed media, disappearing content that is sweeping the digital landscape.

2019 social media trends – statisticsIn 2018, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) began to take off and major catastrophes caused online hesitation—think: data breaches by Facebook, interference in American elections, and world leader dialogues on Twitter.

2019 is a year that might just be a response to all of that.

From small businesses to major corporations, every brand needs to have a social media marketing plan in 2019. Sometimes, it might even feel like every company should have their own photography staff and video production studio to keep up with the latest social trends. Yes, these things could help, but keeping your finger on the pulse concerning where your audience is and what they are now responding to is the first step.

As always, it’s a matter of what you have time to do and to do well. Brand professionalism, voice, authenticity, and trustworthiness matter more than ever.

Trends to watch for 2019

“Going live” has been huge for a couple of years now, but the authenticity and vulnerability of live video is really speaking to audiences skeptical of sales pitches and manipulation. There have been more than 3,500,000,000 live videos on Facebook since “going live” was first introduced to the platform. Over 2 billion people have watched live videos. This is a trend just getting started.

“Stories” are potentially the next stage of social media as we know it. FOMO (fear of missing out) is real with audiences online, and the mixed media presentation of Stories enables creators to craft deeper content and audiences to feel more connected with a brand. Facebook has said the Stories format “will soon replace the newsfeed as we know it.” And as reported by Entrepreneur, 200 million Instagram users use Instagram Stories each month. Stories aren’t just for Snapchat anymore. Savvy marketers need to be on top of this one.

Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram have emerged as the top platforms for video marketing, and audiences are responding more than ever. With the launch of long-form, vertical videos on IGTV from Instagram and continued new options for YouTube Creators, video is evolving fast. Goodbye, Google+. Hello, Google My Business.

Social Media Stats for 2019

While YouTube and Facebook are the clear leaders in the social media usage battle, Instagram has jumped ahead of the pack to be the third most popular platform with a continually expanding lead over Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The latest survey from the Pew Research Center shows that:

• 73% of U.S. adults use YouTube
• 68% use Facebook
• 35% use Instagram
• 29% use Pinterest
• 27% use Snapchat
• 25% use LinkedIn
• 24% use Twitter

Breaking these down one by one, here are the latest numbers.

Facebook

The number of American adults on Facebook has not increased or decreased since 2016.

• However, of the 68% of American adults on the platform, 74% login to Facebook daily.
• That being said, 2018 marked the year that the Facebook website fell behind YouTube in popularity. Of course, including app usage, Facebook remains the most popular social media platform.
• After years of U.S. users being the majority of Facebook accounts, Indian users stepped ahead in 2018, with 294 million users compared to the U.S.’s 204 million.
• The ratio of male to female Facebook users is roughly even, with men between ages 18 and 34 using the platform slightly more than women in the same age bracket and both teenage girls and women over 45 slightly more active than men.
• The number of users 65+ on Facebook has more than doubled since 2012, with 41% of older Americans now active on the platform.
• Only half of American teens use Facebook. While this is a big number, if you’re targeting this audience, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat are all better bets.
• 88% of Facebook users are logging in via a mobile device.
• There are 1 billion users who are members of a group, and 200 million of these are a part of a “meaningful group,” a community that becomes a key part of a Facebook user’s experience.
• 78% of American Facebook users have discovered something to purchase via this platform.
• Facebook is the most popular social network for small businesses, with 86% of small businesses present on the platform.

YouTube

• There are 9 billion active monthly YouTube users, with more than 30 million people on the platform daily.

• YouTube is the world’s second most popular search engine.
• 70% of YouTube viewers go to the platform to help solve a problem with work, school, or hobbies, and 57% of viewers go to YouTube for entertainment.
• 80% of 18-49 year-olds watch YouTube at least monthly.
• Slightly more men watch YouTube than women, with its users being roughly 55% male.
• 96% of online American teens watch YouTube videos.
• Counting only YouTube views on mobile, YouTube reaches more viewers between 18 and 49 than any broadcast or cable television network.
• 67% of YouTube users have at least some college education.
• 70% of video watch-time is on mobile devices.
• There are now more than 300,000 paying YouTube TV subscribers.
• YouTube is the third most popular social network for small businesses, with 46% of small businesses present on the platform.

Instagram

• 1 billion people are using Instagram on a monthly basis.

• 121 million of these users are in the U.S. Yes, this number is huge, but then think of the remainder of the active users that are outside of the U.S. Interested in connecting with an international audience? Instagram is ready for you.
• The ratio of women to men Instagram users is roughly even, with slightly more male users in the 18-34 age range and slightly more female users both in the 13-17 and 35-64 ranges. As for the 65+ bracket, statistics show usage being roughly even.
• 59% of Instagram users in the U.S. are under 30, with 72% of teens on Instagram every day.
• Instagrammers 25 and older use the platform on average 24 minutes a day, and those under 25 average 32 minutes a day. These increasing numbers are often attributed to the popularity of “Stories.”
• Video viewing was up 40% in its first year of availability on Instagram and 80% in the year following.
• More than 50 billion photos have been shared.
• Instagram is now the 2nd most popular social network for small businesses, with 48% of small businesses present on the platform.

Pinterest

• 250 million people use Pinterest every month.

• 1 out of every 2 Millennials access Pinterest at least once a month.
• 80% of Pinterest users access the platform via the mobile app.
• While Pinterest has traditionally been a female-dominant platform, with as many as 80% of its users being women in recent years, 50% of recent Pinterest sign-ups have been men.
• Some deem Pinterest “one of the internet’s most important shopping platforms,” and this is for good reason, with Pinterest ranking as the 2nd most popular social network where users go for holiday shopping ideas.
• 93% of users say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases.
• 50% of Pinterest users say they have made a purchase after seeing a promoted pin.
• 40% of Pinterest users have a household income of $100K+.
• 27% of global marketers use Pinterest.
• 5 million businesses are on Pinterest.

Snapchat

• Snapchat has 300 million active monthly users.
• 60% of American Snapchat users are under 25.
• 78% of American 18-24 year-olds use the platform.
• 71% of these users visit the platform multiple times per day.
• Looking at all Snapchat users, regardless of age, 49% visit the platform multiple times per day.
• 54% of American 25-29 year-olds are on Snapchat.
• 25% of small businesses are active on Snapchat.

Twitter

• Twitter has more than 326 million monthly active users.
• The network’s daily active users grew 9% between 2017 and 2018, though reports noted its monthly active users declined in the latter half of 2018.
• 24% of American adults are on Twitter—specifically, that’s 23% of American men and 24% of American women.
• Twitter’s highest demographic of users are those between 18 and 29, with 40% of this population on the platform.
• 27% of 30 to 49 year-olds are on Twitter.
• 19% of 50 to 64 year-olds are on Twitter.
• Only 8% of those 65 or older are on the platform.
• 90% of Twitter users also use Facebook; 95% also use YouTube; 73% also use Instagram.
• 80% of Twitter users access the platform via a mobile device.
• Twitter is the fourth most popular social network for small businesses, with 44% of small businesses present on the platform.

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn now has 562 million members.
• 260 million users are active on LinkedIn monthly.
• 50% of college-educated Americans are on LinkedIn. Only 9% of those with only a high-school education or less are on the platform.
• 61 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers, and 40 million are in “decision-making” positions.
• 57% of LinkedIn use is from mobile devices.
• While only 1% of LinkedIn users post content weekly, 91% of executives use the platform as a source of content.
• 80% of B2B leads come through LinkedIn
• 31% of small businesses are active on LinkedIn.

Social media is at once awe-inspiring and intimidating, and staying on top of it is a job unto itself. However, your business will be left behind if you’re sticking with the digital marketing plan you built for yourself a few years ago.

There’s so much for your company to think about online. There’s compliance and security, podcasts and chatbots, SEO and so much more. And in the midst of it all, social media should act as a billboard driving potential customers and clients to your business’s website.

Is it time for a new plan considering 2019 social media trends? It’s definitely worth a look.

Article written by: Kris Spisak