A social media presence is helpful to writers who want to sell their books and grow their audience. The advent and infestation of social media in every crevice of our society puts some people on edge. For others, social media is a no-brainer and as natural as three meals and a cot. How does social media benefit you as a writer?
First, social media platforms increase your marketing reach by exposing your work. You can gain new readers and influence more people to buy your book through using social media.
Let’s look at some recent statistics compiled by the researchers at Hootsuite.
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Almost 3.2 billion use social media on a regular basis. People are trotting around staring at their mobile devices. Over five billion users access their social media on-the-go.
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Every second, 11 new people begin using social media. Americans spend about 2 hours per day checking their feeds and posting updates. The average American user employs 3 major social media platforms.
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93% of businesses expect to increase their social media advertising spending in 2018. Globally, social media advertising budgets doubled from 2014 to 2016.
So what are the most effective social media platforms for authors to consider? Let’s take a gander at five of the most popular social media platforms currently in use.
Instagram:
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More than 800 million monthly active users.
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The total number of global Instagram users increased by 1/3 over 2017.
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Generally, a younger audience with 60% of active users falling in the 18-34 age group.
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60% of users engage daily.
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Users also use Facebook and Pinterest.
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Over 300 million accounts use Instagram Stories daily.
Facebook:
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The total number of users has grown to over 2.2 billion users in 2018.
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.Users over 65 have increased by 20% in the past twelve months.
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Almost half of U.S. adults get their news from Facebook.
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Users watch over 100 million hours of video every day.
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The highest Return on Investment is Facebook, according to 96% of social media experts.
Twitter:
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Twitter users are loyal.
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Twitter has more touts more than 330 million active users.
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Roughly 46% of Twitter users access the platform daily.
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Every day, users send 500 million tweets.
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Individuals holding a college degree are more likely to use Twitter.
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Almost 75% of users get at least a part of their news from Twitter.
YouTube:
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More than 1.5 billion people use YouTube monthly.
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“YouTube” is the second-most popular search query worldwide.
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Roughly 45% of YouTube users access the platform daily.
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11% of YouTube’s audience is over 65, making it a prime social media platform to reach seniors.
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YouTube users watch more than a billion hours of video per day.
Pinterest:
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Half of all Millenials engage Pinterest every month.
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1/3 of Pinterest users live in suburbs.
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A visual medium, Pinterest provides sources of inspiration and a great way to sell.
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55% of Pinterest users shop on the platform.
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According to research, every $1 dollar spent on Pinterest yields a $4.30 return, and $2 in profit. This gives Pinterest a higher ROI than Facebook.
Each of the platforms have their own unique perks. YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest are the more visual. People still post tons of images on Facebook. You will also find images and videos on LinkedIn and Twitter, but with less frequency. Social media has changed the way we communicate and relate to others. It has revolutionized how we shop, market, advertise, and persuade. Knowing how to use social media to sell books and influence others is a valuable asset for writers.
Happy Writing!
Source(s). Hootsuite (2018). A Long List of Social Media Statistics that You Need to Know in 2018. Hootsuite.com.
The Devotional Guy™ 