23 Facebook Marketing Statistics That Matter Most

Planning your social media marketing strategy requires a solid understanding of what each social network has to offer in terms of user base, demographics, business results, and more. Here, we examine some of the key Facebook statistics all marketers need to know to develop an effective Facebook marketing plan.

Facebook user statistics

1. Facebook has more users than any other social network
2.07 billion monthly active users, to be exact. That’s more than a third of the entire population of the world.
That number may seem overwhelming, but with a solid understanding of exactly who those users are—and how they use the network—you can develop a strategy to find and engage your most important customers.

2. Far more American adults use Facebook than use any other social network
Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults, according to Pew Research. Compare that to a mere 28 percent for Instagram, the next-most-highly-used social platform.

3. They’re far more likely to be millennials than senior citizens
It’s probably not surprising that millennials use Facebook more than their grandparents do, but the difference in adoption rates may be surprising. While 88 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 use Facebook, the rate is only 36 percent among those aged 65 and over.
In fact, usage declines with each age cohort above 29, with 79 percent adoption among U.S. adults aged 30 to 49 and 61 percent among those aged 50 to 64.

4. The gender split is fairly even
Women use Facebook at a very slightly higher rate than men, with 69 percent of U.S. adult women using the service, compared to 67 percent of U.S. men. That difference is not significant when it comes to the actual number of men versus women on the platform, so marketers can effectively use Facebook to reach both.

5. Facebook users are likely to have some college education
Seventy-seven percent of U.S. adults with at least some college education use Facebook, compared to 56 percent of those who have a high school education or less.

6. And some cash
Those higher education levels mean Facebook users have relatively high income levels: The adoption rate is highest in the $75,000+ per year income bracket (76 percent), and lowest in the less than $30,000 bracket (65 percent).
Those earning $30,000 to $49,000 and $50,000 to $75,000 have adoption rates of 68 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
Keep in mind that while high income earners are best represented on Facebook, a large majority of people in all income levels are on Facebook, so you shouldn’t rule it out as a tool for reaching any income group.

7. Teens think Facebook is uncool
Forrester Research found that 34 percent of online U.S. teenagers think that Facebook is “for old people.”

8. But they use it anyway
Seventy-six percent of 12- to 17-year-olds still use the network. In fact, only YouTube has higher adoption among this young demographic. Still, while YouTube’s adoption rate is growing among teens (from 87 percent in 2014 to 96 percent in 2017), Facebook’s has dropped slightly, from 78 to 76 percent.

9. And they’ll even accept their parents’ friend requests
Families with teens tend to be multigenerational Facebook users: A survey from Common Sense Media and SurveyMonkey found that 79 percent of teens who use Facebook are Facebook friends with their parents.

Facebook usage statistics

Almost as important as knowing who uses Facebook is knowing how they use it. Understanding the features that people use most, the platforms they use to access the network, and what they expect to find when they open their newsfeeds will allow you to tailor your marketing efforts for the largest impact.

10. Facebook users spend nearly half an hour a day using the site
eMarketer estimates that U.S. adults spend an average of 25.29 minutes per day on Facebook.

11. And log into Facebook more than any other social platform
Pew Research found that Facebook users access the platform more often than users of any other social network. While 71 percent of Facebook users visit the site every day, only 51 percent of Instagram users do so, with lower numbers for other social networks.

12. They use Facebook to find and share live events
If you’re engaged in event marketing or use events to promote your business, Facebook could be your most important social tool. A StubHub survey found that 62 percent of respondents had used Facebook to learn about a live event, more than any other social network. Among millennials, this number increases to 72 percent.
Once they’re at the event, 55 percent of women and 46 percent of men will post about it on Facebook, too.

13. And discover new retail products
A survey from Curalate found that within the last three months, 52 percent of respondents had discovered a new retail product on Facebook that they were interested in buying. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, that number rises to 78 percent.
Facebook’s own data shows that 46 percent of Facebook users across six countries say they have found fashion inspiration on the network in the last three months, potentially leading to fashion purchases.

14. People turn to Facebook for news
Nearly half of U.S. adults—45 percent—use Facebook to get their news, according to Pew Research.

15. People spend much of their Facebook time on mobile devices
At least a quarter of Facebook users in 14 markets around the world are mobile-only users.
In some markets, those numbers are much higher: 70 percent in India, and 67 in Indonesia. In Southeast Asia, 96 percent of users access the platform on mobile every month, and 97 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

16. Video is a big deal
Facebook users watch 100 million hours of video every day. More than 65 percent of those views happen on mobile devices.

17. Facebook is making the world a smaller place
Forget six degrees of separation; on Facebook, everyone is connected by an average of 3.57 degrees of separation.

Facebook statistics for business

18. Business are using all of Facebook’s tools
Over 70 million businesses are now using Facebook Pages. Some 20 million people use Messenger to communicate with customers and more than 5 million businesses are actively using paid advertising on Facebook.

19. And their efforts are paying off
A whopping 95.8 percent of social media marketers say Facebook delivers the best ROI among the social networks.

20. Fans are ready to engage
Facebook users leave nearly 5 billion comments on Facebook Pages every month.

21. Facebook Audience Network reaches more than a billion people
Through publisher partnerships, more than one billion people see ads through the Facebook Audience Network every month. Facebook’s data shows that Audience Network allows advertisers to reach 16 percent more people than advertising on Facebook and Instagram alone.

Facebook ad statistics

22. Most Facebook users accept video ad breaks
More than 70 percent of ads in front of videos—which can be up to 15 seconds long—are watched right through to the end.

23. Only 56 percent of Facebook ads include a call to action
A call to action is the language that tells viewers of your ad exactly what you want them to do next—it quite literally calls on them to take an action. But AdEspresso’s analysis of 37,000 Facebook ads found that nearly half of Facebook advertisers don’t include one. Make sure you test various calls to action to see what is most effective for your business.
AdEspresso also found that “Learn More” is the best call to action for click-throughs, while “Sign Up “ produced the best conversion.

Article by Christina Newberry via Hootsuite.com