Social Media Statistics Over The Years

June 24, 2015 By BJ Cook,

Social media has become a prominent force for connecting people across the world. Marketers are catching onto this trend and now use these networks to advance their company’s goals. Here are the three aspects indicating why social media is here to stay.

Social Media use has grown steadily over the last few years

In the last five years, consumers and marketers have both increased their use of social networks.

18 million Twitter users in 2009, 302 million current users
In 2009, 17% of time online was spent on social media, now it is 28%
A majority of marketers were involved in social media marketing for a few months or less, in 2015 it is down to 22%
56% of companies in 2010 used social media for 6 hours or more, 64% now fit this category

Social Media has real effects on companies and exposure

Companies recognize how valuable social media can be in promoting their brand, gaining attention, and improving sales. Oreo cookie made a splash with their "daily twist" campaign.

Oreo daily twist campaign made 100 facebook posts in 100 days relating to current events
231 million media impressions created from 2,600 articles
Gained 1 million fans on Facebook
Increased share rate by 280%
Each post shared an average of 1,472 times

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Image via Adweek.com[/caption] Canadian paint company CIL found their paint names weren't appealing to men so they created an app for renaming colors.

In 45 days, 15,000 new names created from over 20,000 users
1 million dollars in media exposure created
100 million online impressions
10% increase in sales

Psychology is getting involved

Psychology is now backing the effectiveness of social media use; studies have highlighted its impact on consumers. One study from the University of California San Diego found that emotions carry over social networks. They tracked over 1 billion posts over a 2 year period, especially on rainy days when the posts were more negative. They found that these emotions were transferred to friends posts who lived in other cities or even in other parts of the country. This is a vital study for marketers because it demonstrates how the tone of a social media post can trickle down, so it is important to keep posts upbeat and positive. Social Media is captivating the world’s attention and we are almost completely immersed in its web. Companies now recognize it as a crucial feature in their overall strategy. These social networks allow for a continuous dialogue which lets us to connect like never before. Social Media is the new standard, and it won’t be going away anytime soon. Drop us a line if your business is ready to improve its outreach and visibility.