Report: The State of Digital and Social Media 2020
Krista Neher
Sep 29 2020
The State of Digital and Social Media report is one I look forward to every year. There are tons of great insights and information about digital adoption and trends. Also, check out the country breakdowns.
The July 2020 report also contains information about Covid and News sources based on current trends.
Over half the world uses social media. While this may not sound like a big number if you live in a developed country, keep in mind that this is a global number. Most developed countries already have over 50% penetration, but this is globally across the entire world.
Global streaming of tv and movies is growing. If you are still relying on traditional TV and not using digital video and tv to reach your audiences you’ll start to see declines in your reach.
Voice search and voice commands are mainstream. In many countries over half of internet users are using voice regularly. Make sure that your strategy accounts for this.
Social media is a top tool for brand research. Depending on the age group about 30% – 50% are using social media to research brands. For younger people it is the #1 way that they research brands. Make sure that you have reviews incorporated into your strategy and a positive presence on all platforms.
Instagram is growing big time and passes new milestones. Instagram continues to grow and adds over 1 million new users a day!!! PLUS the platform has over 1 billion users. This means it has a tremendous audience for businesses to tap in to.
LinkedIn has over 700 registered users. Note that LinkedIn only reports registered users, not active monthly users like other social networks. It has strong growth (4% in the quarter).
TikTok is growing big time. TikTok had over 800 million users before it was banned in India (the current number isn’t known) and has over 100 million US users. This makes it a big player in digital vs. a trendy app that doesn’t really get mass adoption. Globally 13% of the total population over 13 uses TikTok. For perspective this is the same audience size as LinkedIn.
Facebook ad engagement dips. While Facebook continues to be large and growing, the engagement with ads has declined. Engagement rates are up vs. January, but down vs. April. This could be due to the current climate.
Increased ecommerce should endure. With global lockdowns for coronavirus ecommerce had a huge boost this year. Many businesses were forced to pivot and many large companies dramatically enhanced their digital offerings. What is important to note is that the increase in ecommerce is expected to endure beyond lockdowns as people say they will continue to use ecom more.
