10 Things You Most Likely Didn't Know About Social Media

If you consider yourself a know-it-all social media guru, you're in for a surprise. Following the rapid evolution of social media analytics tools, industry experts are able to extract lots of new and increasingly detailed information that helps marketers to create more effective social media strategies. There are dozens of research studies being conducted on the subject, some of which you might not even now existed. Here are ten interesting social media facts you probably didn’t know about.

1. That's right, Facebook is growing

Even though to some markets Facebook is slowly becoming an obsolete social media platform, the global scale shows something completely different. It's hard to imagine, but it's true – every second 5 new Facebook profiles are created. That's more than the number of global births!

2. Twitter has 6 different communication networks

A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center jointly with the Social Media Research Foundation, analyzed thousands of Twitter conversations and spotted a pattern. There are as many as 6 completely different communication networks at work on Twitter. And we all thought tweeting was such a simple affair.

3. Users love videos more than ever

Even though marketers agree that original videos aren't exactly an important part of their social media strategy (have a look at this survey), facts speak for themselves. Every day, Facebook users watch more than 500 years worth of videos and an average visitor spends at least 15 minutes on YouTube.

4. Twitter is a real-time dictator

A research study by Lithium Technologies showed that the real-time nature of Twitter can result in some really high expectations from users – apparently, 53% of those who tweet a brand expect an answer within an hour. But that's not all. If they're angry and their tweet is a complaint, the number rises to a smashing 72%! Use tools to track your response time and make sure to respond as fast as possible to all tweets that make your way (especially the angry ones!).

5. Facebook is most alive on Fridays

In its recent Social Intelligence Report, Adobe analyzes over 225 billion Facebook posts and concludes that the best time to count on user engagement is Friday. That's when posts receive more comments, shares and likes – perhaps because Fridays are perfect days for slacking off at work! Something to consider when you're reviewing your own posting schedule.

6. Late evening is a perfect time to tweet

After analyzing over 1.7 million tweets, TrackMaven came up with a precise timing for maximizing our chances at getting retweeted. Apparently, the best time to tweet during the day is from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, best done on Sunday. Late night is a moment when the share volume is lower and content simply has a greater chance at being shared. If you're looking for more engagement, consider posting during this hour.

7. Every day has its winner on Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the social media platforms that drives most web traffic, so it's only natural that the team seizes their immense amount of data and granted us some really valuable insights. Pinterest revealed on their company blog the top categories that get most engagement every day of the week. While fitness posts will score high on Monday, those with inspirational quotes are most popular on Wednesday (it figures – workers like to be comforted half-way through their working week).

8. Visuals have real power on Facebook

We all know the value of great images for our social media marketing, but this figure is simply mind-blowing. Social Bakers revealed that 87% of all interactions of a Facebook page happen on photo posts. In comparison, posts with links receive only 4% of all interactions. Choosing photos that fit your brand narrative or tell a story on their own should now become your priority.

9. Written content is key

The expected rise of content marketing means that more and more marketers will be on the lookout for high-quality content to raise their brand awareness across various social media platforms. Writers can feel secure – it seems that written content is what marketers appreciate most. An annual survey conducted by the Social Media Examiner revealed that 58% of marketers considered blog posts and expert articles as the most important kind of social content. That's really impressive, especially when considered next to the meek 19% of marketers who voted for visual content.

10. The 55-64 age bracket is growing on Twitter

And growing fast. In fact, this is the fastest growing demographic on Twitter! This surprising fact will bring joy to all those who market products for mature consumers.

Judging by the practical insights brought by data derived from all those research studies, one thing is clear – in order to stay on top of your game, you simply must have a firm grasp over social media analytics and statistics.