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Almost everyone in social media can agree on one thing: Facebook is the king of social platforms. There are a lot of reasons for this, of course. For example, when you think of the term “social network,” this platform is the first one to come to mind. At the same time, unless you consider YouTube to be a social network, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg is by far the largest site of this type. From its humble beginnings in a college dormitory to its current status as one of society’s most influential tech companies and core products with many thousands of employees, Facebook has come a long way. These Facebook statistics will serve to prove that point and remind us of the importance of Facebook marketing even when shiny new objects come and some proclaim that TikTok is the next big thing in social media marketing. Social media users may like novelty, but they continually hold fast to and continue coming back to Facebook–even if only for a few minutes per day.
As marketers, we have to think of Facebook features differently than most people, viewed through the lens of social media marketing strategy and what an advertising audience might want. For the average user , Facebook is a place to keep track of people we’ve met and people we’d like to meet. At the same time, these social connections give us marketers the opportunity to spread the word about our company’s or client’s products and services and reach our target audience. Whether we are promoting a simple business page with the occasional announcement post in a Facebook group, or an elaborate multimedia advertising campaign, Facebook and its huge base of social media users is something we simply can’t ignore any longer. Let’s look at the most recent Facebook statistics, and think about the current potential of this versatile platform in our annual revenue potential and advertising audience reach.
Facebook Usage statistics
It’s safe to say that Facebook is everywhere; the average user is no longer a college student, but instead encompasses countless company’s target audience of young adults, families, and old married couples. Just about any website you see will have a button for sharing its contents on the popular network. Even small nonprofits are looking for their little bit of free promotion in this manner and making it possible to share their information on various Facebook pages.
So, how ubiquitous is this social network, anyway?
1. Over 60% of Internet users worldwide are on Facebook.
That figure was as of the end of 2018, and the latest data suggests this number continues to grow within the Facebook family of apps. Facebook tracks its users from the age of 12, which is the minimum age they will accept as a member. Just think about it: over half of the Internet-connected market pays some level of attention to this powerful platform. That’s a lot of potential customers on the social media platform, and even a low rate of revenue per user could yield a significant result.
2. Almost 3 Billion users visit Facebook each month.
According to Statista, Facebook alone accounts for nearly 3 billion hits of monthly use. Such a large rate of monthly active users greatly increases the likelihood of reaching your advertising audience, whether through Facebook stories, direct contact through Facebook messenger, or even a Facebook group. The truly enormous reach of Facebook’s user base makes it absolutely vital to conducting a successful digital marketing campaign with one of the world’s largest audiences.
3. 1.93 Billion of these users visit daily.
By far, that’s the majority of active Facebook product users. Why is this significant? Because the By far, that’s the majority of active Facebook product users. Why is this significant? Because the network has become a significant part of 2.1 billion lives on planet Earth. It would be interesting to know what percentage of the overall global population is. In other words, what’s the total number of internet-connected people? Logically, it should be around 4.5 billion or so based on these statistics. But no matter the exact numbers, it has become increasingly clear that Facebook is a very important part of everyday modern life for much of the population and cannot be understated in its importance in generating consistent average revenue and developing an understanding of audience demographics.
Lastly, for our American friends it’s worth noting that:
4. 69% of American adults use Facebook.
Considering that Americans are so busy, that’s a staggering number of active users. It’s also interesting, given that the statistic only includes adults, instead of everyone who’s old enough to have their own account. And, this includes senior citizens, rather than just younger people that tend to be the bulk of members for most networks. In my experience, parents and older adults use Facebook to keep track of their relatives of all ages. It makes connectivity between social groups easier, both due to “friends” lists and Facebook pages dedicated to clubs, religious groups, and even the promotion of political causes.
User demographics
Although a huge proportion of the population is on Facebook, there are some variations in population saturation. In other words, there are sections of society where larger or smaller proportions of the population are members. As marketers, we can use this more in-depth knowledge to inform our advertising choices and tailor the type of content we are sharing on Facebook and creating for Facebook ads.
5. The highest percentage of people who use Facebook is between ages 30-49 , at 77%.
This age group is usually more established than the younger crowd, and they often have children of a wide variety of ages in the home. With the responsibilities of life often more readily taken care of at this age, they may be more likely to demonstrate ideal conversion rates and enjoy the full scope of social media marketing plans. This group is also great for growth, as they may pass on spending habits and brand appreciation to a growing population of children and young adults.
By contrast,
6. Only 50% of those 65 and older are on Facebook, the lowest of any age group.
Although this is much lower than the twenty-something group, it’s pretty high for a social network, as the age demographics of other platforms often indicate a sharp decline in use as people grow older. Many of those old enough to retire won’t even get on LinkedIn, because there is no longer a need for professional networking. By contrast, Facebook is awesome for grandparents looking to keep track of those grandkids. Of course, they’re also a great “all purpose” marketing customer, because they buy stuff for their grandkids and often have plenty of money to do it. Facebook demographic statistics have to be thoroughly investigated to truly reveal the scope of possibilities on this dual social and advertising platform.
And perhaps the most interesting demographic figure of all:
7. In America, only 27% of teenagers use Facebook.
From the same source, we know that this number is actually declining. This percentage was over 70% five years ago. It’s easy to wonder about the reasons for this trend. I, for one, think that cyberbullying has a lot to do with it. After all, even within the last couple years, we’ve seen stories in the news about classmates bullying each other on Facebook and other social media channels. For sure, some of the losses have been from kids turning twenty and “aging out” of the demographic, but the younger ones aren’t signing up at all, no matter the type of content being offered. It’s easy to see parents, in the wave of bullying horror stories, saying “no” to their child’s involvement in Facebook.
With that said, Facebook seems to be losing its “cool” factor among younger people. Other platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, are more popular with teenagers. Kids love to enjoy the latest thing, and Facebook is no longer the latest thing for sharing content and aiming digital marketing efforts toward teens.
8. Among those earning at least $75,000 in the United States, 70% use Facebook.
Further Reading: Real Estate Facebook Marketing: The Definitive Guide with Advice on Everything from Content to Ads
9. 77% of Facebook users are under 45.
This isn’t unusual for social networks. After all, the older set is used to growing their personal networks with in-person interactions, rather than connecting on mobile devices. They write letters, make phone calls, and attend networking events. For sure, young professionals do these things as well, but they also enjoy the online interaction while checking in with social contacts. Besides which, they can play games with their friends, too. What’s not to love about a dedicated Facebook group or well-kept-up page?
Customer engagement on Facebook
Originally, Facebook was a decidedly un-commercial place to hang out in cyberspace. Friends and social contacts posted on the “wall” of the active users they wanted to connect with, sent friend requests, and issued the once-ubiquitous “pokes.” It wasn’t long after Facebook became open to all, however, that Facebook advertising statistics started to appear. Here are some statistics to show how marketers have taken advantage of this platform lately.
10. 66% of Facebook users either like or follow a brand page.
That’s a lot of positive engagement with brands, and it covers all sorts of businesses and content types. In fact, most of the time Facebook users can learn a lot about someone else by seeing what they have liked or followed on their profile, as a piece of content can generate an informal picture of a person’s personality and interests. Granted, there are some people who don’t like to show their interests on Facebook, but these are few and far between. For the rest of the population, seeing someone else like something you’re interested in can help influence purchases and drive advertising revenue.
11. In America, 78% of consumers have discovered a product on Facebook.
That’s a lot of chances at making a positive impression via U.S. Facebook posts, and not all of them are going to be through actual advertising. I, for one, have discovered new products by seeing my friends post about them or share video content featuring them. I’ve also talked about product recommendations, and even found out which yard services are the best in an area after a post type detailing the best services nearby. For all those organic impressions from happy (or even dissatisfied) customers, imagine what formal advertising efforts are capable of.
12. 81% of businesses share video on Facebook.
To me, this seems like common sense. The best place to share things with your potential audience is where they check in everyday. Once upon a time this was the TV, newspaper, or radio. These older forms of media, although still in use, have lost their luster with many of the younger generations and active users are found on social media platforms like Facebook, rather than news sites and other forums. Also, if a potential customer is following your business, they’ll see that video in their feed.
13. About 15% of Facebook users specifically intend to shop there.
This definitely isn’t Instagram or Pinterest, but still not insignificant. After all, Pinterest was pretty much designed for shopping, while Facebook is where people go to socialize. But with socializing comes “I like your shoes, where’d you get them?” or maybe, “what am I going to wear at the party I just RSVP’d to?” These moments are golden opportunities for us as marketers. And we’d be foolish not to cash in.
Bearing that in mind, it is important to recognize that…
14. ⅔ of adults reported visiting at least one local business page within the past week.
Although Facebook branding is essential for e-commerce, be sure to keep your business page on Facebook up to date and in keeping with local groups and pages. Although e-commerce platforms are invaluable, being able to take advantage of local searches through Facebook can have an immense positive impact on your brand’s reach.
15. Each month, the typical user averages 12 likes, 5 comments, and 1 share.
What does this mean? In total, we’re talking about 19 interactions with posts that others can see. This doesn’t count the click-throughs on ads or to other websites, but it still is almost one for two days out of three. Perhaps the biggest takeaway, however, is that in order to earn these interactions, your content has to be unique or something that speaks directly to the interests of your audience. In other words, bland content won’t cut it to pique the interest of Facebook’s active users.
Further Reading: Here’s What Your Facebook Posts for Increased Engagement Should Look Like Today
Facebook marketing is everywhere.
Being the dominant player in any market has its privileges. For Facebook, these privileges include the ability to charge top dollar for advertising. With this large of a potential audience and the chance for promotional content to go viral, it isn’t surprising that Facebook possesses some special traits to heighten the engagement rate of followers and potential customers. Let’s look at the figures.
16. 93% of marketers use Facebook advertising.
When that many marketers are using something, you know it works. And this isn’t a surprise, given the huge number of Facebook users worldwide. Make a heartfelt post about something you believe in strongly, and you’re likely to find kindred spirits who will share the post. And if that post shares a product or service that changed someone’s life, you can only imagine how many likes and shares it can get from active people on the platform.
Further Reading: Facebook Ads Strategy: 15 Powerful & Effective Strategies for 2024
17. On average, Facebook charges $0.97 per click.
Obviously, this isn’t cheap. But then, it isn’t outrageous, either. Especially when you consider that if someone clicks through an advert, they’re usually interested in buying your products. Of course, it doesn’t always work out as well as we’d like, but the competitive rate of Facebook ads often results in improved advertising returns.
18. 63% of marketers say Facebook is the most important social media platform and the most effective way to advertise.
Given that people spend so much of their time and energy on this social network, it’s not surprising that advertising here is so effective. Sometimes, the effect of an advert goes beyond just what you say, and results in discussions with friends about what they think. Maybe a shoe brand is throwing a huge sale–but so is everyone else. Messaging friends can help someone decide which sales to take advantage of, and which ones to avoid. Or, they might share an advert that doesn’t benefit them, but a friend might need to see. Either way, you win when you utilize Facebook’s expansive platform.
Further Reading: 9 Ways to Enhance Your Facebook Ads ROI
Hero Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
Facebook Statistics FAQs
To get an overview of your page’s performance, click the “Insights” link at the top of your Page. You will have access to insights about the reach of your posts, viewers, and other engagement metrics so you can adjust your strategies to the data and see what kind of content works best for your audience. Additionally you can check the Insights tab on any post or advertisement to find even more specific analytics.
Statistics data can be found in a variety of places. The internet is one of the best sources; libraries are also an invaluable resource to locate statistics; Corporations, special interest groups, and advocacy organizations all generate their own reports detailing statistics related to various topics, offering another great source for users seeking quality data.
Facebook once reigned supreme as the social media platform, but the tides have changed recently. With new giants on the block such as TikTok and Instagram, many are beginning to wonder if Facebook’s popularity has taken a dip. Users no longer flock to it in droves compared to before, preferring instead to use other platforms for their social media needs.
In recent years, Facebook has taken a hit from former fans and customers who don’t appreciate the platform’s practice of pushing more content to users without their permission. This can quickly make a user feel overwhelmed, with posts and news stories popping up all over their feed. Additionally, continual reports about Facebook’s possible misuse of customer data haven’t helped the social media giant build trust in its user base.
Statistically speaking, the platform is still growing and adding new users, but there are some notable signs that things may be slowing down. Many longtime users seem to be switching over to other platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, citing issues with the privacy policy, and difficulty controlling the content they see. Although there are people who are still embracing Facebook again due to its familiarity, it seems that overall the platform is losing members at a steady pace.
