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Must Know Social Media Stats for 2014

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The simple fact of the matter is – the things we used to invest time in and that worked on social media no longer do, so it’s crucial to invest in the social media the provides the best ROI. This means you need the most up to date data on offer to make those rewarding decisions.

Recently, social media guru Jeff Bullas provided the world with a whole host of statistics on social media and the trends that we’re seeing at the moment. We’re going to take a closer look.

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The Main Takeaways

Social media is widely utilised across the planet and more influential than it’s ever been. Social influences how people think about us, how often they see us and also influence search results more-so than ever before. So, it’s an imperative to enhance your presence. Here are some stats:
• 72% of web browsers are on social media
• 89% of 18-29 year olds are users
• 72% of 30-49 year olds use social media
• 60% of 50-60 year olds use social media
• 43% of over-65s use social
• 71% do so via mobile

Facebook

The biggest of all social media sites, Facebook is a must for businesses to be on if they’re to be taken seriously. It’s not as much of a monopoly as it once was but it’s still extremely important to business. Here are some Facebook stats to get you thinking:
• Facebook users – 1.15Bn
• 47% of Americans say it’s a buying influencer
• The average American is online for 16% of an hour each day
• 70% of the new customers marketers get are via the platform

Twitter

Big changes to Twitter in the last 12 months mean it can now showcase video and rich media content. This has made it increasingly influential for sellers and means it can easily increase leads, engagement and brand exposure for business. Of course, the addition of social media PPC services and advertising also has an impact on Twitter, as it’s had on Facebook and Google before it.
• Twitter has 550m subscribers
• Twitter has 215m active users
• Twitter grew 44% in the last two years to Jan 2014
• Twitter is used by 34% of markers to generate leads

Google+

Google+, owned by Google, has the most impact on search engines according to statistics and Google+1s are seen as an influential ranking factor, as does AuthorRank. The site has achieved a lot in an understated manner in less than three years and impacts the way we produce content not just for social, but also blogs and on-site too.
• There are over 1Bn active accounts
• Google+ has over 360m active users each month
• Google+ grew at a 33% rate last year
• The 45-56 year old bracket has increased usage by 56% since 2012.

Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram

The visual social media sites are incredibly influential and social media networks such as Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram are only going to increase in popularity.
• Pinterest has 20m active users a month
• Instagram has 150m active users a month
• YouTube has 1bn active users a month

Social media in its more traditional form and also the more visual forms is worth investment more-so now than ever. Creating a complete strategy that incorporates your content and these social channels, as well as email and web design will provide you with the leverage to address your needs realise your social media potential and make 2014 a very successful year.

Web design features that will dominate in 2014

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Web design remains a complex and skilled art that many try their hand at but few master. One of the key ways to find inspiration at a time when it seems scarce is to look at the latest trends within an industry. That’s why we’re going to take the time to look at some of the key web design features that are expected to dominate 2014:

Web apps

Though smartphone apps are more or less ubiquitous, the idea of apps within a web browser has only become more common during the last couple of years. We expect it to become even more popular during 2014. Google’s Chrome App Launcher is currently in the process of taking the idea to a more mainstream place, with web technologies being deployed to create applications running live on the web but with the ability to also store information offline. Expect more development this year.

HTML 5

Though HTML5 remains a common tool in terms of providing power to web apps, it’s rarely given it’s dues in terms of performance. We’d hardly be surprised to see it used more and more frequently during the upcoming year or so for a variety of different web design functions.

Responsive design

In a world where SEO is focused more and more around a number of different devices, it’s important to ensure that responsive design plays a part in any modern website. The ability to be fully functional on all of the main devices remains an invaluable ability that will only become even more important as the digital marketing age develops.

Photos. Massive ones.

Whilst the previous age of online promotion was focused substantially around lots of text (so as to be more visible to search engines) things have changed, and it’s anticipated that quality photos will play a big part in a website’s design during 2014. It’s definitely a great way to attract attention, after al!

The infinity scrolls

Though it sounds like something out of a Harry Potter novel, infinity scrolls (the ability to automatically load a new post when the reader reaches the bottom of the current page) may well play a key part in websites during 2014, especially those that rely solely on content. Though it’s considered controversial by some people (in a sense, it does take away the decision from the user), it will still likely play a key part in the design process of many sites going forward.