Social Usage Trends to Consider in 2019

Header_Social Usage Trends

The start of a new year is an opportunity for marketers to evaluate what’s ahead for their brand with fresh eyes. A good starting point in this process is to check in on target consumer’s behavior – an ever-changing element in the social media space. To assist you in staying on top of these 2019 social media usage trends, we pulled out key insights from GlobalWebIndex’s latest Social Media Flagship Report.

Facebook and YouTube Remain on Top

 Despite its stock plummeting nearly 36% since July, Facebook still reigns supreme when it comes to social platforms by membership. Outside of China, 85% of internet users say they have a Facebook account. YouTube takes a close second to Facebook, with nearly 80% of internet users being members on this platform. What’s interesting about YouTube is despite having fewer registered members, its weekly visitor rate is 7% higher than that of Facebook’s, meaning a good chunk of users are either not logged into their accounts, or not members in the first place, when visiting YouTube.

GWI Flagship Report_Top Platforms

Social Media’s Role in the Buying Journey

Social media has evolved into more than just an outlet for users to keep up with their friends and family. Now, users are turning to the platforms to discover what products to buy next. In fact, GWI reports that 42% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products, making social media the second-most important channel in the purchase journey, behind search engines. Among 16-24-year-olds however, social media ranks #1 as the channel that is most-used when researching a brand or product.

Beyond product research, social media is capable of influencing users’ opinions and feelings towards actually buying a product. 25% of users age 16-34 reported that seeing a brand/product with a lot of likes would encourage them to buy something. One fifth of 35-44s report the same.

GWI Flagship Report_Social Commerce

The Growth of Live Video

We recently wrote about three key reasons why video is integral to your social media content strategy, and data from this GWI report further backs up that notion, specifically with live video.

Among users on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, 27% engage with live streams each month on any one of these services. Of these major four platforms, Facebook wins out for highest engagement rates with live video. The platform also has proven to invest most heavily in live streaming, adding capabilities like live polling, Facebook Premieres, and other features that appeal to both users and marketers on the site. The trend in live streaming demonstrates the important intersection of entertainment and marketing.

GWI Flagship Report_Live Streaming

As the social media landscape continues to develop, you can count on us to stay on top of the latest trends offerings on each platform. To learn more about what we can do for you, check out our services.

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