80+ New Social Media Marketing Statistics for B2B Marketers

Social media marketing’s near-universal popularity and the break-neck speed at which it changes sometimes makes it difficult to keep up with — for B2B and B2C marketers alike. However, if we use the latest statistical data, it’s possible to gain many helpful new insights.

Here are 83 of the latest relevant social media marketing statistics to trick out and inform your marketing efforts, with a particular focus on certain fascinating new B2B-specific data.

We’ll look at statistics taken from five recent reports and several additional sources, starting with general social media marketing overview figures. Then we’ll look individually at Facebook, LinkedIn*, Twitter, Instagram, and a group of other social platforms.

Social Media Marketing Statistics From 5 New Reports

Sprout Social’s recent Sprout Social Index: Edition XV: Empower & Elevate (2019) ¹ surveyed over 1,000 social media marketers to learn where they are finding success and where they plan to place their focus during the push to 2020.

As we featured in our most recent TopRank Marketing Friday News, the report shows that:

1. 70% of social media marketers see increasing brand awareness as their top goal for social ¹
2. 72% define engagement success in social through likes and comments, as the following chart outlines ¹

With social advertising spending in the U.S. alone expected to hit $18.4 billion in 2019, it’s no wonder that:

3. 90% of social media marketers say social has a direct impact on their business revenue. ¹

The study shows that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, and LinkedIn are the most-used social media platforms among social marketers, as the following chart — which also compares this information with where consumers most often folllow brands — illustrates. ¹

Additional data from the Sprout Social report shows that:

4. 53% of corporate-level marketers and 33% of vice presidents see proving the value of social media marketing to those outside marketing as a challenge. ¹

Hootsuite and We Are Social’s recent Digital 2019 Q2 Global Digital Statshot ² report, utilizing numerous sources, also offers plenty of insight into where social media marketing currently stands and where it’s most likely to head moving forward.

According to the report, social media marketers find their audience primarily using either mobile or desktop devices, with a small portion using tablets, as the following image shows. ²

The report shows that Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger top the list of social platforms with the most active users, as shown in the following chart. ²

Similarly, in the recent Pew Research Center January 2019 Core Trends Survey (2019) ³, the top social platforms among U.S. adults are YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Twitter, as the chart below outlines.

In Social Media Examiner’s recent eleventh-annual social media marketing industry report for 2019 ⁸, company founder Michael Stelzner shares 46 pages of statistical data gathered from surveying over 4,800 marketers, and offers interpretation on how various aspects of social media are working for marketers today.

65% of the survey’s respondents had at least three years of social media marketing experience, with 36% having more than five years industry experience, and 36% of all respondents primarily target B2B businesses.

There’s little doubt that social media marketing has become more important than ever, and Social Media Examiner’s report shows no fewer than eight areas that have grown since 2018, as shown in the following chart.

Each of these benefits grew by at least 4%, in the case of providing marketplace insight, to as much as 19% for improved sales, according to the report.⁸

Of particular interest to B2B marketers is the relatively low percentage of marketers using social media marketing to grow business partnerships, which represents an underutilized opportunity for savvy SMM practitioners. ⁸

5. B2B marketers use Facebook and LinkedIn more than any other platform, followed by Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat, as the following chart shows. ⁸

The list of most-popular social media platforms among marketers in general continues to be dominated by Facebook-owned properties, with Facebook and Instagram used most frequently, followed by Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat, according to the report, as shown below. ⁸

6. Over the past year the biggest increase was seen by Instagram, growing by 7% from 2018’s figure of 66% to 73%, while the largest drop was seen for Twitter, which fell 3% from 2018’s 62% to 59%. ⁸
7. When B2B social media usage among marketers is compared to that of B2C, LinkedIn shows its acumen, garnering 30% of B2B social usage, 26% more than the 4% usage rate it holds among B2C marketers, as the following comparison chart highlights. ⁸

8. LinkedIn’s use among combined B2B and B2C marketers grew from 12% in 2018 to 14% in 2019, according to the report’s survey data, while for the first time since 2014 Facebook’s combined figure fell, from 67% to 61%. Instagram’s combined figure climbed 4%, from 2018’s 10% to 2019’s 14%. ⁸
9. Just 44% of marketers say they are able to measure their organic social media marketing activities. ⁸

Now let’s move on to taking a closer look at each of the top social media platforms B2B marketers most frequently use, and some of the most relevant statistics for each, pulled from the five recent studies and other sources.

Facebook — Challenging Times For A Social Media Empire

The reports offer a broad section of data containing insight into social media marketing specific to social giant Facebook, which in many areas continues to be a top channel for marketers, despite the well-known data privacy and other challenges it has faced over the past several years.

10. 61% of marketers view Facebook as the most important social media platform, down from 67% in 2018 ⁸
11. 51% of marketers plan to increase their organic Facebook activities, down from 62% in 2018 ⁸
12. 59% of marketers plan to use Facebook ads more frequently over the next 12 months ⁸
13. 11% fewer marketers plan to spend more on future organic Facebook marketing in 2019, at 51%, than was the case in 2018, when 62% expected to, while 10% plan to lower their organic Facebook spending, as shown below. ⁸

14. 45% of B2B marketers use Facebook native video. ⁸
15. 68% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Facebook video marketing. ⁸
16. 65% of B2B marketers regularly use Facebook for advertising. ⁸
17. 59% of marketers plan to increase their use of Facebook advertising in the near future, with 33% planning to increase their use of Facebook Messenger-specific ads. ⁸
18. 68% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Facebook advertising. ⁸
19. 86% of marketers want to learn more about Facebook Analytics. ⁸
20. 62% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Facebook. ⁸
21. 89% of marketers use Facebook as part of their brand’s social media strategy. ¹
22. 77% of GenXers use Facebook as their primary platform for liking or following brands. ¹
23. 42% of social media marketers already have a strategy in place for Facebook Live. ¹
24. Facebook is the world’s third most visited website, behind only Google and YouTube. ² (SimiarWeb)
25. Facebook has a potential social media advertising audience reach of more than 1.88 billion users. ²
26. Facebook users click on an average of 11 advertisements on the platform each month. ²
27. 26.3% of Facebook Pages are using paid media, up 1.2% from the fourth quarter of 2018. ²
28. Facebook pages using video posts get the most engagement, at 6.1%, as illustrated in the following image. ²

29. Finally, 69% of U.S. adults use Facebook, and 74% of them visit the site daily, and 51% several times each day. ³

Facebook marketing is a staple for many B2B marketers, and we’ve offered several helpful recent articles to guide your strategy on various aspects of the platform:

• Where Do Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Stand With B2B Video?
• The Latest Evolution of Facebook: The Marketing Low-Down on 5 Recent Changes
• The Future of Connection on Facebook: How Stories May Change the Marketing Game
• The Question on Many Marketers’ Minds: Should My Brand Start a Facebook Group?
• Death of Facebook Organic Reach = New Opportunities for Influencer Marketing

LinkedIn — Reinvigorated and Seeing Promising Returns

The five reports reveal a great deal of data about growing utilization of LinkedIn, especially among B2B marketers.

30. A hefty 70% of B2B marketers plan on increasing their organic marketing activities on LinkedIn over the next year, according to the Social Media Examiner 2019 report. ⁸
31. More than half of combined B2B and B2C marketers also expect to boost organic marketing use on LinkedIn in the coming 12 months, as the following chart illustrates. ⁸

32. 71% of B2B marketers want to learn more about LinkedIn. ⁸
33. 57% of combined B2B and B2C marketers want to learn more about LinkedIn. ⁸
34. 21% of B2B marketers use native LinkedIn video. ⁸
35. 45% of marketers plan to increase their use of LinkedIn video in their marketing efforts in the near future. ⁸
36. 66% of B2B marketers want to learn more about LinkedIn video marketing. ⁸
37. 24% of B2B marketers regularly use LinkedIn advertising. ⁸
38. 35% of marketers plan to increase their use of LinkedIn advertising in the near future. ⁸
39. 64% of B2B marketers want to learn more about LinkedIn advertising. ⁸
40. LinkedIn has a potential social media advertising audience reach of nearly 615 million users, trailing only Facebook and Instagram. ²
41. LinkedIn saw a 1.7% increase in advertising audience reach over the fourth quarter of 2018, as shown in the following image. ²

42. LinkedIn saw revenue grow by 33% with record levels of engagement including session growth of 34%, according to parent firm Microsoft’s 2019 first quarter earnings release data. ⁴
43. LinkedIn topped the 630 million user mark recently, and overall engagement was up 24% year over year. ⁵
44. About 50% of college graduates who live in high-income households use LinkedIn. ³

LinkedIn recently published a helpful infographic detailing “How to Spark Meaningful Conversations and Measure Success” on the platform, and we’ve also written several recent articles detailing how to best use the platform:

• Top Takeaways from LinkedIn’s New ‘Enlightened Tech Buyer’ Report
• LinkedIn’s List of 24 B2B Marketers You Need to Know
• Where Do Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Stand With B2B Video?
• LinkedIn’s Megan Golden on Building a Blockbuster Content Marketing Strategy
• Allen Gannett Shares His Secrets to Racking Up Millions of LinkedIn Video Views #CMWorld

Twitter — The More Tweets Change the More They Stay the Same

Twitter also features heavily in the five recent reports, with statistics showing the venerable platform continues to play a sizable role in the social media campaign strategy of many marketers.

45. 9% fewer marketers plan to increase their Twitter organic marketing over the next 12 months than did in 2018, a decrease from 44% to this year’s 35%, the report data shows, while 7% plan to decrease organic Twitter activities during the next year. ⁸
46. 21% of marketers plan to increase their use of Twitter advertising in the near future, while 64% have no plans to use Twitter ads. ⁸
47. Twitter is the world’s seventh most visited website, and has an average visit time of over nine minutes. ² (SimilarWeb)
48. Twitter has a potential social media advertising audience reach of 262 million users. ²
49. 25% of U.S. adult Twitter users visit the site several times each day. ³
50. The most prolific 10% of adult U.S. Twitter users post a sizeable 80% of all tweets, averaging 138 tweets and favoriting 70 more each month. ⁶
51. Among the top 10% U.S. adult Twitter users, 81% tweet once or more each day, and follow an average of 456 Twitter accounts. ⁶

Leadtail recently examined how some B2B brands are succeeding with Twitter, in Dennis Shiao’s “10 Twitter Users Reveal What B2B Brands Are Doing Well on Twitter,” featuring examples including the Twitter accounts of the Content Marketing Institute, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, and others.

We’ve published articles looking at how to best use Twitter for B2B marketing, including the following selection:

• The Impact of Twitter’s Proposed Shakeup on Marketers and Influencers
• Why Twitter Lists Are Still a Great Tool for B2B Marketers
• Twitter Has Renewed its Live Video Push & Here’s What You Need to Know

Instagram — Facebook-Owned Platform on the Rise

Instagram has been the brightest star among the platforms featured in the data from the five recent reports, showing the most rapid growth and some of the greatest interest from marketers.

52. 73% of marketers now use Instagram, up from 2018’s figure of 66% ⁸
53. 69% of marketers expect to increase their organic Instagram activities during the next year, while 18% plan to keep spending level, and 2% are preparing to decrease their spending. ⁸
54. Instagram has passed Facebook as the top platform marketers want to learn more about ⁸
55. 72% of marketers want to learn more about Instagram, for the first time surpassing Facebook as the platform marketers most want to increase their familiarity with. ⁸
56. 65% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Instagram. ⁸
57. 32% of B2B marketers use Instagram Stories for video marketing. ⁸
58. 64% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Instagram video. ⁸
59. 30% of B2B marketers regularly use Instagram for advertising. ⁸
60. 55% of marketers plan to increase their use of Instagram advertising in the near future. ⁸
61. 57% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Instagram advertising. ⁸
62. 69% of GenZers use Instagram as their primary platform for liking or following brands. ¹
63. 48% of social media marketers see Instagram Stories as becoming increasingly important. ¹
64. 31% of social media marketers plan to build a strategy for Instagram Live. ¹
65. Instagram is the world’s ninth most visited website, and generates and average of just over six and a half minutes of time per visit. ² (SimilarWeb)
66. Instagram has a potential social media advertising audience reach of 802 million users, trailing only Facebook. ²
67. Instagram was the only major social media platform that has seen an uptick in use among U.S. adults since 2016 according to Pew Research Center data. ³
68. 67% of U.S 18-29 year-olds use Instagram. ³
69. 42% of U.S. adult Instagram users visit the site several times each day. ³

Social Media Today recently looked at how B2B marketers are using Instagram, in Emma Wiltshire’s “B2B Marketers Share Their Best Tips for Instagram,” and the publisher also recently conducted a Twitter poll asking what B2B marketers struggle with the most on Instagram.

Additionally, we recently published “What You Need to Know About Instagram Stories for B2B Marketing,” offering helpful insight into this growing area.

Pinterest — Piquing Marketers’ Interest

Although not featured as heavily in the data from the new reports, there are some statistics about the use of Pinterest among B2B marketers and marketers in general. A few include:

70. 24% of B2B marketers plan to increase their organic marketing activities on Pinterest during the next 12 months. ⁸
71. 31% of B2B marketers want to learn more about Pinterest. ⁸
72. 17% of marketers plan to increase their use of Pinterest advertising in the near future, compared to just 8% on Snapchat. ⁸

YouTube — Google-Owned Video Staple & Stalwart

YouTube continues to be the primary platform for video content for many marketers, and the data contained in the reports show both how it’s changing over time and remaining steady in some core areas.

73. 71% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube video, and 62% plan to increase their organic marketing activities on YouTube. ⁸
74. 57% of marketers regularly use YouTube for video marketing efforts, followed by 50% using native Facebook video, 38% Instagram Stories, 26% Instagram native video, 22% Twitter, 13% LinkedIn native video, 9% IGTV video, and 5% LinkedIn Stories, as the following graph depicts ⁸

75. 49% of marketers want to learn more about YouTube advertising. ⁸
76. YouTube is the world’s second most visited website, ahead of Facebook and trailing only Google, and tops the list of the 20 most-visited sites when it comes to time per visit, with an average of over 21 minutes. ² (Similarweb)
77. 73% of U.S. adults use YouTube, and among those 32% visit the Google-owned platform several times each day. ³
78. The ads marketers run on YouTube are getting longer, with the number of 30-second ads rising from 19% in January 2018 to 24% in January 2019, a trend shown in the following MediaRadar chart showing combined YouTube and other video ad statistics. ⁷

We’ve explored how B2B marketers can develop a strong video strategy using YouTube and other social media platforms, and some of our most recent helpful articles are these:

• How to Select the Right Type of Video for Your B2B Marketing Goals
• Camera Shy: 7 Tips for First-Time Video Marketers
• Where Do Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Stand With B2B Video?

We have our own TopRank Marketing YouTube channel as well, and hope that if you aren’t already a subscriber you’ll take a moment and follow us.

Snapchat, Reddit, & Others — Possibilities For the Adventuresome

Some of the lesser-used social platforms also feature in the statistical data from the reports, in some cases showing potential new opportunities for certain B2B marketing campaigns.

79. 76% of marketers don’t plan to use Snapchat over the next 12 months, while 9% plan to increase their organic activities on the platform.⁸
80. Snapchat has a potential social media advertising audience reach of 311 million users. ²
81. 62% of U.S 18-29 year-olds use Snapchat. ³
82. 42% of U.S Hispanic adults use WhatsApp. ³
83. 46% of U.S. adult Snapchat users visit the site several times each day. ³

What Do All These Social Media Statistics Tell Us About B2B Marketing?

When we look at all these statistics as a whole, it’s clear that B2B social media marketing is strong and growing stronger, and it’s also apparent that direction and guidance in where to focus your B2B social efforts is needed now more than ever.

Whether it’s from doing business with a professional B2B-focused marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing, or through following industry experts such as those on our “Top 50 Social Media Marketing Influencers in 2019” list, we want your marketing to be the best it can be, and hope that the large collection of statistics and insights we’ve gathered and outlined here proves helpful.

Finally, here’s a bonus list of six additional resources we’ve written to help you make sense of the numbers and incorporate statistics-based insight into your marketing:

• Around the World in 50 Captivating Digital Marketing Statistics
• Tip of the Iceberg: A Story of Trust in Marketing as Told by Statistics
• Embracing Interactive Content: 19 Statistics Every B2B Marketer Needs to Know
• The Next Level of Influence: 30 Essential Influencer Marketing Statistics
• New Year, New View: 3 Ways to Approach Analytics in 2019
• Measuring Content Marketing Success: Analytics Advice & Insight from the Experts

*LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

Sources:

¹ Sprout Social Index: Edition XV: Empower & Elevate (2019)

² Hootsuite / We Are Social: Digital 2019 Q2 Global Digital Statshot. Essential insights into how people around the world use the Internet, mobile devices, social media, and e-commerce. (2019)

³ Pew Research Center: January 2019 Core Trends Survey (2019)

⁴ Microsoft Fiscal Year 2019 First Quarter earnings Release (2019)

⁵ How LinkedIn’s Products Are Evolving to Support the New World of Work (2019)

⁶ Pew Research Center: Sizing Up Twitter Users (2019)

⁷ MediaRadar: Research Insight: Video Ads Are Getting Longer (2019)

⁸ Social Media Examiner: 2019 Social Media Marketing Industry Report How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses (2019)