No one involved in marketing can afford to ignore the influence of social media. Advertising is changing because of it, and the average marketing agency is taking social media and other internet innovations more and more into account in planning and executing marketing strategy. For an ad agency, there are some important statistics it’s crucial to bear in mind for any advertising in the modern world of social media.

• Facebook is crucial, but things are changing. Facebook is still very important and will be for a while to come. In fact, 22% of the world’s entire population uses Facebook, and naturally, Facebook is keen that this should remain true. But a recent survey of teens found that if they could only have access to one social media network, only 14% of them would choose Facebook. This is a slow-moving, but important demographic shift for marketers to watch.
• Twitter is popular with Millenials and with the educated. More than 80% of Millenials are checking Twitter at least once a day, and while 20% of people with a high school education or less use Twitter, nearly 30% of those with college degrees use it.
• Instagram should not be ignored. Of those who use the platform, 51% look at it every day and 25% check it multiple times throughout the day. It’s currently the second-most popular social media network after Facebook, and 24% of teens say that’s the social media platform they would use if they were on a desert island and only had access to one.
• Engagement is key. Shockingly, 96% of people who discuss a brand online don’t actually follow that brand’s social media profile. But that stat doesn’t mean marketing can neglect social media accounts for a brand. Social media posts that have a visual are 40 times more likely to get a social media share, and when a brand engages with a customer on social media, the customer typically ends up spending between 20% and 40% more.
• Everything has to be optimized for mobile devices. A shocking 91% of social media users are going to their favorite channels using a mobile device, and 70% of the total time spent on social media is via mobile. They might click over from a feed to a brand’s website if you give them good reason to, but they’ll likely click right back off if the website isn’t optimized for a mobile experience. Ad agencies beware.
• Youtube videos can really pay off. Forget television ads. Youtube reaches more people in the 18-49-year-old demographic than any cable network in America. That’s not just Youtube’s main site: those stats include Youtube mobile. But be aware: only 37% of people who watch videos on social media actually watch them to the very end, so it’s crucial that the marketing happens at the opening, or that the video be so good it commands attention right to the end

These are just a few of the stats that marketing professionals need to be thinking about when it comes to social media and today’s ad agencies. Estimates are that nearly $558 billion is set to be spend on advertising in 2018, and a lot of that needs to go into effective social media marketing. a