21 Social Media Statistics That May Shock You

Sick of hearing that social media is just a buzzword? Are you looking for hard statistics so that you can prove to your boss that social media is worth the investment? Looking for some pick up lines at the next social media meetup?

Hey, did you know that Facebook-connected shoppers are 9 times more likely to share content with friends? Mind if I buy you a drink?

Online adults aged 25-54 are 23% more likely than the average U.S. Internet user to follow a brand via social networking. (source: Nielsen) Think about your audience and see where they are most likely to follow your brand.
Failure to respond via social channels can lead to up to a 15% increase in churn rate for existing customers. (source: Gartner) Customers are turning to social media outlets to unleash their frustration or questions. Make sure you are actively engaged on your social networks.
49% of the top 20% of B2B marketers in generating leads through social media integrate online video with social media, compared to the industry average of 32%. (source: Factbrowser) Videomarketing is a powerful tool that personalizes your brand and increases conversions.
Social technologies could potentially contribute $900B to $1.3T in annual value across four industry sectors. (source: McKinseyGlobalInstitute) It’s no longer a buzzword; social media is changing how brands interact with their customers.
People are most likely to engage with branded content on social media that contains pictures (44%), status updates (40%) and videos (37%). (source: Performics) Lujure has a great post about how to increase engagement on your fan page.

Facebook

Facebook-connected shoppers are 9 times more likely to share content with friends. (source:SociableLabs) Give your Facebook Connected users ample ways of sharing your content or product.
Users who log into third-party sites with Facebook Connect spend an average of 50% more time on those sites and view twice as many pages. (source: Gigya) When people login with their Facebook account, there is a sense of trust that they are giving you. Use it wisely and give them a good conversion path to follow.
20% of Facebook users have purchased something because of ads or comments they saw on the site. (source: Factbrowser) A combined effort of social media campaigns along with ads can yield great results.
Facebook links posted from 1pm to 4pm EST result in the highest average click throughs.(source: Bitly) Consider using an image or video with each post to drive engagement.

Twitter

Tweets with one or two hashtags receive 21% higher engagement than those with three or more hashtags. Make sure you are utilizing relevant and trending hashtags in your tweets.
U.S. consumers who use Twitter follow an average of 8.5 retail companies on the site. Figure out what your followers want from you and keep them engaged.
Tweets containing less than 100 characters received 17% higher engagement than longer Tweets. (source: BuddyMedia) Even with just 140 characters, shorter relevant content performs best.
Twitter posts from 1-3pm EST Monday through Thursday get the highest average click throughs. (source: Bitly) Try using tools like Buffer or Timely to auto schedule your posts.Tweetthisstat!

Pinterest generates over 4x as much revenue per click (attributable to first touch) as Twitter and 27% more revenue per click than Facebook. (source: VentureBeat) Now that anyone can joinPinterest, there are no more excuses.
57% of Pinterest users interact with food-related content, the #1 category of content. (source:Compete) Bonobos sells men’s clothing, but has a pinboard of ShitNinjasEat. Lesson is to get creative with your Pinterest presence.
Pinterest buyers spend more money, more often, and on more items than any of the other top 5 social media sites. (source: comScore) Airbnb does a great job of posting great photos to inspire new travel destinations.
The average order on Shopify by customers referred by Pinterest is $80, compared to $40 for Facebook. (source: Shopify) Consider pinning items currently on sale or seasonal pieces to drive engagement and conversions.

Google+

Google+ pages appear in search results for 30% of brand term searches for brands with G+ pages, up from 5% in February 2012. (source:BrightEdge) It’s no secret that search is becoming more social. Make sure your brand has a presence on Google+.
The most commonly circled brands on Google+ are in the electronics industry, followed by beverages, internet services, and apparel.(source: SimplyMeasured) If your brand falls into any of the above categories then increase your Google+ activity.
40% of marketers use Google+, 70% want to learn more about it and 67% plan on increasing Google+ activities. (source: SocialMediaExaminer) Google+ will remain an integral part of social media and organic search.
The leading occupation among Google+ users is student, with 20%. (source: WebsiteMonitoring) Even more reason to be on Google+ especially if your target market is students.