2020 was a year of new developments at Instagram, with some interesting new Instagram statistics emerging along the way. Now much more than a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has launched a ton of features to help businesses market and sell directly from the app.
As you plan your Instagram marketing strategy for 2021, it’s important to know the latest facts about this very popular social network. To make sure you’re working with the right information, we’ve compiled all the most important Instagram stats you need to be aware of this year.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a lifestyle photographer used to grow from 0 to 600,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Fast stats for instagram
1. Instagram turned 10 years old in 2020
Instagram officially launched on October 6, 2010, and a million people had created accounts by December of that year.
The first ever Instagram post actually came a few months earlier. On July 16, 2010, when co-creator Kevin Systrom posted a test photo of a dog.
2. Instagram is the sixth-most visited website
Even though Instagram is primarily used through a mobile app, it still cracks the top 10 for website visits. People may be viewing your posts on a larger screen than you think.
3. Instagram is the 9th most popular Google query
The top 10 searches include generic terms like weather and news. Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Amazon also feature in the top 10, and all ahead of Instagram. But, again, this is a great showing for Instagram since it is primarily accessed through an app.
4. Instagram has the 4th-most users of any mobile app
Since Instagram is primarily a mobile platform, this stat bears more weight than website visits. For active users of a mobile app, Instagram is outranked only by Facebook, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.
Instagram user statistics
Who exactly is using Instagram? These Instagram user statistics reveal the details of Instagram’s audience right now.
5. Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month
That makes Instagram the second-ranked traditional social network in terms of active users, behind Facebook.
When considering all social platforms, Instagram ranks sixth – behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat.
6. 88% of users are outside the U.S.
Americans are the largest Instagram audience, but they’re very far from the majority. Rounding out the top five countries for Instagram users are:
- India: 120 million users
- Brazil: 95 million users
- Indonesia: 78 million users
- Russia: 54 million users
This is important information when thinking about how to define your target audience on Instagram, and what kind of content to create.
7. Instagram reaches 140 million U.S. users
That’s an 8% increase over Q3 2020.
Sure, we just told you that the U.S. audience represents only 12% of all Instagram users. But it’s still an important audience that’s growing consistently.
8. 14% of U.S. adults have never heard of Instagram
Keep in mind that while Instagram does have a huge reach in the U.S., it does not reach everyone. That’s why understanding your audience is so important.
9. Instagram saw 17.0% user growth in Western Europe in 2020
The region will end 2020 with 132.8 million users, eMarketer predicts. That’s an increase of 19.3 million users since 2018.
Before the pandemic, eMarketer had predicted only 5.2% growth for the region. They revised their estimate upwards twice this year.
Source: eMarketer
10. The country with the highest Instagram percentage reach is Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan might not have the most Instagram users, but it is the country where Instagram reaches the highest percentage of the population: 72%, to be precise.
Rounding out the top five countries with the highest%age reach are:
- Brunei 71%
- Iceland: 67%
- Kuwait: 66%
- Turkey: 66%
If you’re marketing to people in these countries, Instagram could be an especially effective platform for both organic content and paid Instagram posts.
11. The gender mix on Instagram is pretty even: 51% female and 49% male
However, in the U.S., a substantially higher percentage of women (43%) use Instagram than do men (31%). And it’s worth noting that Instagram does not publish advertising data for genders other than “female” or “male.”
These discrepancies show that you can’t make assumptions about demographics on Instagram—or any other social network. And you definitely can’t make assumptions about the demographics of your own followers.
Instead, use social media analytics tools to get detailed information about your own audience, for a better content strategy and ad targeting.
For more details, check out our post that breaks down all the key Instagram demographics for social media marketers.
12. 5% of U.S children under 12 use Instagram
That’s despite Instagram user guidelines that require users to be 13 years old before they can create an account. Among kids aged 9 to 11, 11% use Instagram.
Instagram usage statistics
Now that you know who’s using Instagram, let’s look at some Instagram usage stats to reveal how they’re using the network, and how often.
13. Instagram users spent an average of 30 minutes per day on the platform in 2020
That’s an increase of almost 4 minutes over 2019. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, consider that it’s a 13.8% jump. Before the pandemic, eMarketer predicted time spent on Instagram would increase by only 1.5% in 2020.
In comparison, Facebook users only spent 1.4 more minutes per day on the platform in 2020, an increase of 4.3%
Source: eMarketer
14. 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily
During those 30 minutes on the platform, a large portion of Instagram users are checking out business profiles. Is yours one they might want to visit?
15. 81% of people use Instagram to help research products and services
And 2 in 3 people say the network helps foster interactions with brands.
16. 130 million Instagram users tap on shopping posts every month
While the Instagram stat above shows people research purchases in the platform, this confirms that people are making purchases directly from Instagram.
With all the new shopping and e-commerce features rolled out this year, it’s easier than ever for brands to sell products directly within the app. If you’re not using Instagram’s shopping features yet, check out our post on how to sell products on Instagram.
17. More than 50% of Instagram accounts use Explore every month
The Explore tab is a place for Instagram users to discover new content and new accounts to follow. Getting your content featured on Explore is a key way to expose your brand to new followers.
18. California’s most-mentioned holiday cookie is gingerbread. In New York, it’s sugar cookies
Why should marketers care? It’s true this is a pretty random Instagram statistic. But it’s a good example of how regional variations can affect perception.
Could this cookie preference extend to Instagram posts and ads? Only testing can tell you for sure. Testing is the only way to know for sure what colors, words, and content (or cookie) types connect best with your audience.
Popular holiday cookies by state on Instagram
Which ones stay and which ones go?
pic.twitter.com/SKKhOfSdbj
— Instagram (@instagram) December 17, 2020
19. 11% of people use Instagram as a news source
That’s nowhere near the percentage of people who get news from Facebook (36%), but it’s still worth considering when thinking about how to roll out new product launches and other brand announcements.
In the U.S., 26% of people aged 18 to 24 have recently used Instagram specifically to access coronavirus news.
20. Only 1% of Instagram users use no other social platforms
Instagram users are social butterflies: 92% of them also use YouTube, and 86% use Facebook. Interestingly, less than half of Instagram users (43%) also use TikTok.
21. Over 1 million Instagram posts each day mention the word “meme”
Memes are a serious trend on Instagram. Does that mean your brand should create a post for every new meme? No. But if the meme fits, it might be worth a try.
Meme accounts embody some important lessons that all Instagram marketers should learn. We explain them all in our post on what brands can learn about Instagram marketing from meme accounts.
Instagram Stories stats
22. 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day
With half a billion people using Stories every single day, it’s clear that Stories are an important channel for brands. The stats below further emphasize why you should try Stories, if you haven’t already.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a lifestyle photographer used to grow from 0 to 600,000 followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
23. 58% of people say they have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories
If you’re not using Stories yet, listen to the Instagram stats: 2021 is the year to start. Not sure what to post on Stories? We made a list of 20 Instagram Stories ideas to get you started.
24. 50% of people have visited a website to make a purchase after seeing a product or service in Stories
Purchase intent is one of the best results you can get from your social media efforts. Don’t miss out on all those clicks.
25. Brand Stories have an 86% completion rate
That’s just a small increase from 85% in 2019. Entertainment account Stories saw the largest increase in completion rate, from 81% to 88%. Sports account Stories have the highest completion rate, at 90%.
26. 61% of Instagram users used the Support Small Business Sticker in Stories during its first month
That’s an informal figure based on a poll on the @InstagramforBusiness Story.
Launched in May 2020, Instagrammers can mention a business directly within the sticker to give their followers a preview of the business’s account.
Instagram business statistics
27. 90% of Instagram users follow a business
People are not just interacting with their friends and family on Instagram. Almost everyone who uses the app follows at least one brand.
28. 36.2% of B2B decision makers use Instagram to research new products or services
That ranks it ahead of LinkedIn but behind YouTube, FaceBook, and WhatsApp.
It’s a clear indication that Instagram is an important business tool, whether you’re marketing to consumers or other organizations. If you’re not sure how Instagram would fit into your B2B marketing strategy, check out our post on how to use social media for B2B marketing.
29. The average Instagram business account posts once per day
To make the most of that content, make sure to post at the right time.
We analyzed more than 250,000 Instagram posts to uncover the best times to post for 11 different industries. Find the results in our post on the best times to post on Instagram.
30. Instagram business accounts see an average 1.46% monthly followers growth
Growing your Instagram following can feel like a very slow game. But there are strategies you can use to outpace the Instagram follower stats and bring in more followers faster. We outline 35 of them in our post on how to get more Instagram followers.
31. The average engagement rate for an Instagram post by a business account is 0.96%
That means you should expect approximately one engagement for every 100 followers. Engagement is apparently highest for photos posts (1.03%), followed by carousel posts (0.86%) and video posts (0.75%). But that will vary by industry and audience preferences.
Hootsuite’s social team, for example, finds that carousel posts get triple the engagement of regular posts.
Keep in mind that larger accounts get lower engagement rates, while accounts with a small but dedicated audience see higher ones. An Instagram business account with fewer than 10,000 followers sees an average 1.55% engagement rate, which drops to 0.62% for a business account with more than 100,000 followers.
32. 55% of fashion shoppers have made a purchase based on an Instagram creator’s post
Instagram is a highly visual medium, making it a perfect place for fashion brands to showcase—and even sell—their wares.
33. 50% of Instagram users are more interested in a brand after seeing an ad for it on Instagram
When Instagram ads are correctly targeted and visually appealing, they’re a highly effective means of connecting with new customers.
Instagram ad stats
34. Instagram’s potential advertising reach is 1.16 billion users
That’s 19% of adults aged 13 and over. This represents a 7.1% quarter-on-quarter increase in advertising reach in Q3 2020.
35. Instagram advertisers can reach a youth audience of 83 million
To be specific, this Instagram stat refers to users aged 13 to 17. That makes Instagram third in terms of youth advertising reach, behind Facebook (123 million) and Snapchat (91.9 million).
36. Instagram will earn $18.16 billion in ad revenue in 2020
That forecasted figure represents a big jump from $13.86 billion in 2020 and just $9.45 billion in 2019.
37. 4 million businesses use Instagram Stories ads monthly
Stories ads give brands the opportunity to create engaging full-screen experiences that connect with Instagram users.
38. Mobile-shot Stories ads outperform studio-shot ads 63% of the time
Instagram users expect Stories to be more casual and less polished. Stories ads shot on mobile feel more like organic content and less like a hard sell.
39. Stories ads with central text outperform ads without text 75% of the time
This stat is specifically focused on add-to-cart objectives, but it’s worth experimenting to see how use of text affects your Stories ads for other advertising objectives.
40. Stories ads that emphasize the call to action perform better 89% of the time
Stories ads have a built-in call to action (like Swipe Up) at the bottom of the screen, but this can be easy to miss. Adding an enhanced call to action helps increase the chances viewers will interact with the ad.
Instagram video stats
41. How-to tutorials are the most popular form of Instagram video content
Followed by behind-the-scenes posts, interviews, and news coverage.
Think about what kind of fun, quick, easy-to-implement instructions related to your business or niche you could convert into a short Instagram video content that inspires engagement.
42. IGTV videos are 4x larger than photos on the Explore page
That makes IGTV videos a good way to draw potential new eyeballs to your account. Of course, the first step is to get on the Explore page.
43. IGTV automatic captions are available in 16 languages
Captions are an important element of inclusive design, which is just good business.
Automatic captions, rolling out on IGTV today.
Go to your settings and turn on video captions or find the option in the video drop-down menu.
Captions will be available in 16 languages to start. Stay tuned for updates as we expand to more surfaces and countries. pic.twitter.com/g3zBUBjCDr
— Instagram (@instagram) September 15, 2020
44. NFL teams’ Reels generate 67% more engagement than their regular video posts
The Patriots have the highest engagement with their Reels. They see an average 121,800 engagements per Reel, compared to 21,600 engagements per video.
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The post 44 Instagram Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2021 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.
