The social media advert market is anticipated to hit $255 billion by 2028 because of the practically 5 billion individuals who use social media globally. Listed here are the social media advertising and marketing stats you have to know.
Monitoring social media advertising and marketing stats and developments will help you maximize your impression and keep related to the billions of daily active users.
Whether or not your viewers is made up of routine YouTube customers, TikTok scrollers, or Pinterest buyers, social channels supply distinctive alternatives to attach with current — and new — audiences.
We compiled the most recent social media stats to encourage your advertising and marketing campaigns. They inform the revenue-generating paid social media campaigns we handle for our shoppers, they usually will help you, too.
HawkSEM’s Affiliate Director of Paid Media, Magnolia Deuell, additionally gives her skilled predictions on the way forward for social media so you possibly can plan for what’s to return.
Able to ignite impressions, likes, follows, and conversions, and construct a cult following on social media? Hold studying.
Social media advertising and marketing stats at a look
- The social media advert market is anticipated to hit $255.77 billion by 2028 (Statista)
- Nano-influencers now have the best publish engagement price throughout TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (and account for 65% of all Instagram influencers) (Shopify)
- An estimated 4.9 billion folks use social media globally (Forbes)
- TikTok promoting income is anticipated to hit nearly $54 billion worldwide by 2028 (Statista)
- Instagram has the best ROI for in-app product gross sales (HubSpot)
- Vertical video adverts on X obtain an engagement price 7x higher than house timeline adverts (Hootsuite)
17 social media advertising and marketing stats and developments
Whether or not your viewers hangs out on TikTok, YouTube, Fb, or past, social channels supply distinctive alternatives to attach with current and new audiences. (Picture: Adobe)
Gen Z loves to buy, Child Boomers thrive on Fb, video content material reigns supreme, and Pinterest is a revenue-generating secret weapon. Let’s take a deep dive into the information.
1. Advert spending for social media is anticipated to hit $255 billion by 2028 (Statista)
That determine entails some critically deep pockets pumped into social media campaigns.
Purchasers usually surprise which is healthier: Google Advertisements or social media adverts. Based mostly on profitable campaigns, a two-pronged technique is good to draw, and convert, your clients.
Plus, you possibly can toggle marketing campaign schedules to show adverts on social advertising and marketing channels when your viewers is most energetic, which improves your ROAS (return on advert spend).

(Picture: HawkSEM)
Paid social media adverts supply distinctive advantages. A Fb or Instagram Advert marketing campaign will enable you to discover an viewers with hobbies and pursuits aligned with your corporation.
After getting their consideration, you possibly can humanize your model by sharing useful info and ideas, in addition to beginning conversations they discover fascinating and beneficial.
From there, you’ve constructed belief, and that belief interprets to that multi-billion greenback pie comprising the social media advert market.
The kicker? It’s essential to catch social media customers earlier than they key phrase or search phrases into Google.
How? By working with social media algorithms to seize potential clients primarily based on their viewing historical past and engagement habits.
Subsequent up: is Fb nonetheless related in 2024?
2. Fb is (nonetheless) the preferred social media channel for entrepreneurs globally (Statista)

Fb boasts a whopping 2.96 billion month-to-month customers. (Picture: Adobe)
Does that shock you? Fb appears to be on a social downslide, however don’t underestimate the age group that makes use of Fb probably the most: Child Boomers.
The platform boasts practically 3 billion monthly users, they usually like to buy.
No surprise 91% of social media entrepreneurs use Fb to succeed in their clients.
Nonetheless, Statista mentions that regardless of the channel’s worldwide reputation, entrepreneurs plan to cut back their Fb efforts within the close to future.

(Picture: HawkSEM)
Instagram is an in depth second, with 86% of entrepreneurs utilizing the platform, adopted by B2B entrepreneurs on LinkedIn at 80%.
Why is Fb nonetheless a great place to spend advert {dollars}? We prefer it for its affordability, visible impression for retailers, and comparatively excessive engagement, particularly for manufacturers within the ecommerce, automotive, journey, and non-profit areas.
3. Variety of social media customers anticipated to hit 6 billion in 2028 (Statista)
The sheer attain potential of social media makes it a beneficial device for publicity, a objective guiding most advertising and marketing professionals. And the variety of each day energetic customers solely continues to rise yearly.
However the sheer variety of folks on social media doesn’t imply you’ll see success. We’ve seen loads of social media campaigns that fall flat.
One of the best ways to catch the snags? Conducting a social media audit. This course of helps you itemize each side of your campaigns, from efficiency and viewers evaluation to cohesion throughout content material.
With this perception, you’ll perceive which social channels, content material varieties, and scheduling engages and converts your viewers, and which fall quick.
The tip aim of a social media audit is to tweak your technique to enhance engagement and conversions.
Undecided the place to start out? We’d love to help.
4. An estimated 4.9 billion folks use social media globally (Forbes)
And this quantity is anticipated to develop to 5.85 billion by 2027.
With web customers spending a median of 145 minutes on social media, and unfold throughout a number of platforms, there’s by no means been as a lot alternative for social media advertising and marketing as there’s now.
And whichever channel your viewers spends most of their time, short-form movies appear to be the popular media format to devour, capturing the eye of 66% of customers on common.
And talking of short-form movies:
5. TikTok is anticipated to generate nearly $14 billion in advert income by 2026 (Statista)

TikTok is a favourite video promoting channel for its competitively decrease CPM (price per mille, or price per one thousand impressions) to different platforms. (Picture: Adobe)
If an image paints 1,000 phrases, what number of can a video painting? TikTok is making it rain, however why are entrepreneurs pumping critical advert {dollars} into the platform?
Perhaps it’s as a result of the average person watches videos for 19 hours every week on-line.
Moreover, TikTok is a favourite video promoting channel for its competitively decrease CPM (price per mille, or price per one thousand impressions) to different platforms.
However Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts pose vital competitors. TikTok has confronted some political challenges lately, with the U.S. threatening to ban the platform from American government devices.
Regardless of the controversy, movies are fast converters, and also you don’t essentially want TikTok to reap the advantages.
A robust takeaway right here is the ability of video throughout varied platforms.
Fb customers spend over half of their time on the app watching movies and Instagram Reels generate double the reach in comparison with different posts.
Seeking to slide right into a money-making content material hole? Video content material is your ticket.
6. Instagram Reels have a person attain of 892% for accounts with small followings (Statista)

Instagram manufacturers with 500 followers or much less might obtain an 892% attain versus a 77% attain from feed posts. (Picture: Adobe)
Are you a small enterprise? Then we’ve excellent news: you don’t must hit influencer standing to succeed in 1000’s of Instagram customers.
All you want is Reels.
Statista discovered that Instagram manufacturers with 500 followers or much less might obtain an 892% attain versus a 77% attain from feed posts.
That means? The extra followers you have got, the decrease your attain.
These Reels figures begin to peter off the extra followers you have got, hitting solely 64% for accounts with 50K followers or extra.
So in case you have a small following, Reel Advertisements are your new greatest good friend. You possibly can attain immense numbers of followers by their cell gadgets whereas they’re watching their favourite Reels, mixing seamlessly in case you have a robust sufficient hook and idea.
However earlier than you whip out your iPhone and go bananas on filming, do not forget that folks can like, share, remark, and save a Reel Advert for later. As an alternative of promoting, deal with sparking conversations and constructing belief.
7. Zara was probably the most talked about model on Instagram in 2023 (Upfluence)
Think about the visitors you’d get in your web site should you had been talked about 182,000 instances on Instagram.
Influencer Advertising Hub chalks these spectacular numbers as much as Zara’s 66,000 influencers that commonly publish about their merchandise. The mixed impression? An extended attain of greater than 1.2 billion folks.
In case you have a look at the style big’s social media posts, you’ll see it spares nothing in terms of eye-popping visuals, suspenseful product launches, and wealthy, brand-aligned messaging.
Zara additionally joins trending conversations about social points, from Pleasure to Worldwide Girls’s Day.
In case you’re searching for inspiration on find out how to keep related and harness influencer advertising and marketing to supercharge your attain, take a notice from Zara’s playbook.
8. 26% of males use X in comparison with solely 19% of ladies (Hootsuite)
We’ve identified that X (formerly Twitter) users encompass more men than girls.
However earlier than you write off X Advertisements as a result of your primarily feminine viewers, keep in mind that you would be able to goal audiences primarily based on different demographics.
It’s necessary to notice that its conversion monitoring doesn’t fairly stack as much as Google’s. Plus, you gained’t take pleasure in as many reporting options or fast outcomes, particularly should you’re a smaller enterprise.
However in case you have a distinct segment viewers that spends loads of time on Twitter, it’s definitely worth the funding.
Simply do not forget that you’ll want an in depth reporting mechanism to trace and enhance your progress.
Our proprietary tech, ConversionIQ, retains us up-to-date with metrics and ends in real-time for all social media and search platforms, together with Twitter.
9. TikTok promoting income is anticipated to hit nearly $54 billion worldwide by 2028 (Statista)
Within the U.S. alone, TikTok generated 4 billion {dollars} in advert income in 2022. In 2024, that quantity is anticipated to double — and practically quadruple by 2026.
Suffice to say, TikTok is rising quickly. In reality, TikTok skilled a formidable 215% progress price in model worth again in 2022, with the overwhelming majority of TikTok customers being a youthful (and beforehand more durable to succeed in) technology.
Whereas TikTok nonetheless has a methods to go to succeed in Fb’s stage of recognition, its price of progress is explosive and gives social media entrepreneurs an enormous alternative to interact with a Gen Z viewers (adopted carefully, in fact, by Snapchat).
10. Nano-influencers have the best publish engagement price throughout TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube (Shopify)
Nano-influencers generate extra viewers belief, because of their intimate social media surroundings of only one,000 to 4,999 followers.
They provide extra one-on-one engagement and reply to feedback, and this personalization pays off on social media.
Now that’s to not say influencers with bigger followings don’t spark conversions, however they have an inclination to have extra model partnerships, and their audiences could also be extra discriminating in trusting their suggestions.
If you wish to construct model consciousness, increase visitors, improve thought management, and garner extra leads? Nano-influencers take the lead. .
11. Over 60% of manufacturers will enhance their influencer advertising and marketing funds over 2024 (Influencer Marketing Hub)
The trending energy of influencers continues all through 2024. Hear up SaaS manufacturers, as a result of influencer advertising and marketing shall be extra necessary to your content material advertising and marketing technique than ever this 12 months.
Your gross sales cycle is prolonged, and also you’re asking for a month-to-month transaction versus only one buy. This makes clients extra selective about which software program to subscribe to.
The answer for constructing belief and outlining the advantages that make your product subscriber-worthy? Influencers.
Lengthy gone are the times of the onerous promote. At the moment, folks need to purchase right into a story, not only a product. Influencers assist to foster that story, illuminating how your providing solves a typical downside.
What higher approach to persuade audiences why your model is value it than with a suggestion from somebody they belief?
12. Vertical video adverts on X obtain an engagement price 7x higher than house timeline adverts (Hootsuite)
X (previously Twitter) took notes on the success of video codecs throughout different social platforms, asserting the introduction of vertical video ads in early 2024.
With video views rising at a median price of 35% 12 months over 12 months (YoY), X expanded Vertical Video Advertisements to advertisers globally, “enabling a full-screen, sound-on promoting expertise on X’s fastest-growing video floor.”
13. Instagram has the best ROI for in-app product gross sales (HubSpot)
Right here’s a picture: you’re scrolling on Instagram and spot a novel kitchen equipment. You click on on it, browse the Instagram retailer, after which transfer on.
Hours later, you open the app once more, and a wave of different distinctive kitchen home equipment pop up in your feed.
The Instagram algorithm is aware of what you need, and it’s delivering it to your digital doorstep in spades.
With that in thoughts, have you ever up to date your Instagram store but? In case you haven’t, you’re lacking out on critical ROI this 12 months, based on HubSpot.
HubSpot factors out that Instagram has probably the most developed social buying instruments, carefully adopted by Fb. When the buying expertise is a breeze, persons are extra apt to purchase.
Slide into conversion-ripe audiences with flawlessly aesthetic buying adverts and curated posts that compel purchases.
14. 36% of Gen Z searches for manufacturers on social media apps over search engines like google and yahoo (Forbes)
If you consider website positioning, you consider Google. And in case you have an older person base, perhaps Bing. However entrepreneurs must shift their website positioning technique to incorporate social media apps as nicely, particularly for a Gen Z and millennial viewers.
When you’ve got branded key phrases for Google, don’t cease there. Use them on Instagram, Fb, and TikTok as nicely.
So, how do you optimize your social media accounts for website positioning? HubSpot shares three methods:
- Use related key phrases and hashtags in posts, captions, and your bio
- Select a searchable username. Keep away from long-winded, special-character-filled handles
- Undertake the identical username throughout totally different platforms for cohesion and continuity
15. 80% of weekly Pinterest customers have discovered a brand new model or product on the platform (Sprout Social)
Pinterest is a visible search engine, making it a really perfect place for folks to seek out new manufacturers and merchandise — which 80% of customers do.
This pairs properly with the truth that individuals who use Pinterest are likely to earn more cash, doubtless accounting for his or her larger month-to-month spending.
In reality, Pinterest reaches 40% of US households with an annual income over $150K..
Which means Pinterest customers are open to new manufacturers and able to make new buying selections.
For a social media platform that’s usually neglected, Pinterest has an entire lot of digital advertising and marketing alternatives to supply.
16. Fb has nearly 3 billion month-to-month energetic customers (Statista)
That quantity has constantly elevated over the past 15 years. Fb boasts the best variety of customers throughout all social networks, together with Instagram, YouTube, and X.
Whereas entrepreneurs ought to actually pay attention to the rising reputation of different networks, it’s necessary to do not forget that Fb remains to be King.
Fb customers are likely to take their time scrolling by the feed, too, spending a median 33 minutes per day on the app.
Now, are all these customers evenly distributed the world over? Not fairly. However in case you have a audience within the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, or India, you’ll need to roll out a Fb Advertisements marketing campaign.
17. 87% of entrepreneurs attribute video advertising and marketing to a progress in gross sales (Sprout Social)
Sensing a theme right here? Video advertising and marketing is on the rise.
In reality, 44% of individuals would somewhat find out about a brand new services or products by short-form video.
Sprout Social notes that manufacturers that create round 30-60 short-form movies see probably the most success, to not point out the best ROI of any social media advertising and marketing technique.
Quick-form movies supply the chance to be participating, whereas remaining genuine (and humorous!). A profitable combo for audiences throughout platforms.
Want a serving to hand? We’ve received you coated with our paid social media marketing services!
Social media forecasting: What the consultants say
What does the way forward for social media advertising and marketing appear to be? Right here, we turned to Deuell for her skilled insights.
“Two developments I’m preserving my eyes on within the social area are Metaverse and nano-trends/influencers,” says Deuell. “Whereas Metaverse remains to be rising, I’m anticipating the discharge of latest digital advert and model experiences.”
As for nano-influencers, Deuell has seen first hand that extra advertisers are leaning into these partnerships to capitalize on area of interest communities and developments.
“I wouldn’t say the micro-influencer factor is new,” says Deuell, “[it’s just that] larger manufacturers are beginning to purchase into it increasingly.”
Audible is a good instance of this.
“They associate with content material creators like e-book bloggers and podcasters and the content material seems so much like what the group usually posts and talks about,” says Deuell.
Lastly, Deuell mentions that social buying can be one thing to look out for — particularly after Amazon announced a partnership with TikTok (along with Meta and Snapchat). “For my part,” says Deuell, “this simply solidifies why you want a extremely cohesive model technique and voice.”
The takeaway
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Fb, even Reddit — phew.
It’s no secret that gaining a social media presence is a gigantic endeavor. In any case, the statistics, figures, and developments are continuously evolving.
Every of those cell apps comes with distinctive challenges and nuances for each audience the world over’s inhabitants.
Plus, shifts in politics, buyer conduct, and prices will continuously problem immediately’s social media marketer. Use these statistics to remain forward of the altering tides and construct advertising and marketing efforts that attain the precise viewers.
We’ve seen firsthand the income potential of a stable social media advertising and marketing technique, from exponential visitors will increase to sky-high conversions.
We’re right here to step up your sport and rework you right into a trendsetter in order that this time subsequent 12 months, your model would be the success story used for example for find out how to slay social media advertising and marketing.
Able to get all the way down to enterprise with social media advertising and marketing? Let’s talk.
This text has been up to date and was initially revealed in Could 2023.