There are tons of blog posts out there about Instagram statistics for 2019. I don’t intend to add to the noise, but I think that there is some data that is important for every marketer to understand so that they maximize their Instagram marketing. These are the ten Instagram statistics that I bring up in my speeches and classes, so I thought it worthy to create a blog post on the subject.
Instagram continues to boom among consumers and businesses alike right now. There’s no denying that this global platform allows companies and brands to collaborate with influencers, humanize their content and showcase their products and services in a unique and relatable way. Let me break down some Instagram statistics for 2019 that every marketer needs to understand today and help you turn them into your advantage.
These Instagram statistics are conveniently divided into what I see are the 5 most important categories:
- Instagram popularity
- Instagram for business specific stats
- How frequently are users publishing to Instagram
- Instagram users purchasing trends
- Instagram demographics
Instagram Popularity Statistics
1. The Most Important of the Instagram Statistics: 1 Billion Instagram Users
Starting off this list is the fact that Instagram has announced that their active monthly user base had surpassed 1 billion. This places Instagram well ahead of LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat. In fact if you add up the active monthly users for each of these four networks it might not equal 1 billion!
The below image, courtesy of Statista, shows how dramatic this growth has been.
Takeaway: If we take out YouTube, mobile messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, What’s App and WeChat and Chinese social media, Instagram is the second most popular – and active – social media site in the world.
2. Instagram Stories is HUGE: 500 Million Active Users Daily
If you thought Instagram was just about posting to your photo feed, think again. Instagram has announced that about half of their active users are checking out Stories on a daily basis.
I like to think of Instagram as being two social networks in one: Static images and videos and Stories. You really can’t maximize your presence on the platform unless you are utilizing both platforms.
Check out the impressive growth of Stories users with this graph courtesy of Buffer.
Takeaway: Consider Instagram Stories to be a separate social network inside Instagram and make sure you place equal importance on publishing content there.
How Businesses are Using Instagram Statistics
3. 7 out of 10 US Companies – if Not More – are Already Using Instagram
An eMarketer study of Instagram statistics found that 71% of all companies in the United States are already using Instagram, surpassing Twitter at 67%. That number was only at 32.3% in 2015. The platform continues to expand its marketing options, which now include the Carousel ad platform, the native ad program and sponsored influencer collaborations.
Takeaway: Will your company be in the majority or minority when it comes to an Instagram presence? If you’re still trying to determine what to post on Instagram, you’re losing out on the potential.
4. 80% of Instagrammers are Engaging with Businesses
Users on Instagram are following their favorite brands, with 80 percent of Instagram users following at least one business account on Instagram. According to the latest data, there are 200 million Instagram users who will visit a business profile on a daily basis. Instagram has truly crossed the chasm and is now an accepted arena for businesses to engage with users on. It’s no wonder that 25 million businesses are already on Instagram and 2 million advertisers are using Instagram promotions, including Instagram Stories ads, to promote their products and services on Instagram. Below is a great snapshot of these stats and more from Instagram:
Takeaway: Instagram is a very different social network which requires you to create a new type of visual content, but more and more businesses are finding a way to do so, and, more importantly, Instagram users WILL follow and engage with content from businesses.
Instagram Posting Frequency Statistics
5. Only 5% of Instagram Accounts Post Once per Day or More
You would think that Instagram, being as attractive as a social network it is, would see more people posting frequently. The data shows that it is quite the contrary. Tailwind compiled their own data and found that only 5% of Instagram accounts post once per day per more. Clearly, companies are having a hard time finding their visual voice and posting regularly as they would do on other platforms.
Takeaway: With so few people posting, supply and demand in the newsfeed is more favorable to your posting on Instagram than on any other social network at the moment. If you’re still trying to figure out how to promote your Instagram presence, the answer might simply be to publish more frequently there.
6. Accounts That Posted 7+ Posts per Week Showed the Highest Follower Growth Rate
I hinted above about the concept of supply and demand in the Instagram newsfeed. When fewer people post, those that know how to post on Instagram everyday appear more often in the newsfeed and thus reap the benefits of getting more mindshare on Instagram. Case in point: The same Tailwind study mentioned above also showed that the more frequently you posted, the faster you get more followers on Instagram. This hints that the Instagram algorithm might benefit those who publish more frequently.
Takeaway: What are you waiting for? Create a solid Instagram marketing strategy, build up some content, and start posting more often!
Instagram User Purchasing Trends Statistics
7. 83% of Users Discover New Products on Instagram
Instagram users not only follow friends and brands but they are also potentially introduced to new brands and products through following hashtags, discovering them through search, or seeing their Instagram ads. This stat hints at the potential that Instagram has for your business to find new customers and generate brand awareness from a demographic that might not be exposed to your brand through other means. Related stats published by Facebook indicate the following purchasing trends on Instagram:
Takeaway: Use Instagram as a place to showcase your products and services, but do so in a unique way that won’t be seen as an organic advertisement from the Instagram user eye. Smart businesses have already figured out how to make money on Instagram.
8. 54% of Millennials Bought Products after Seeing Them on Instagram
A study found that Millennials were the most responsive generation to posts on Instagram, with a whopping 68% of 18-24 year-olds saying they were more likely to purchase an item if someone they followed on Instagram shared it. 54% of respondents said they bought products after spotting them on Instagram.
An interesting side note to these Instagram statistics is that the same study found that Instagram had the most influence on consumer behavior than any other as follows when participants were asked who influenced them the most:
- Friends
- Family
- Partner
- Customer Reviews
- Television
Facebook came it at number 7 while YouTube was 11th, Twitter was 12th, and Blogs were 15th.
Takeaway: Millennials aren’t just active on Instagram; a majority of them are being influenced to purchase from the images they see there. Of all of these Instagram statistics for 2019, this one should provide you ammunition to accelerate your marketing efforts on Instagram.
Instagram User Demographics Statistics
9. 71% of Instagram Users are Under 35 Years Old
This stat from Statista clearly shows that while Instagram is not limited to a younger demographic, it is definitely a young person’s social network. That being said, 16% of users being between 35 and 44 year olds being Instagram users also hints that older generations are using Instagram more frequently than before. This is a natural progression: Just as Facebook began as a college student social network and has now evolved into an older persons’ one, Instagram is also moving from a millennial-only social network to one that is growing beyond its original demographic.
Takeaway: For many brands, Instagram is their chosen social network to reach out to millennials. However, as Instagram user demographics continue to expand, don’t limit your marketing efforts on Instagram to a single generation.
10. Instagram Statistics Show 47% of Millennials Use Instagram as a Messaging App
I predicted back in the day that a movement by social media users to retake the “personal” from social media and move to social networks that are more communication-centric, as opposed to information-centric. The rise of mobile messaging apps in the likes of Facebook Messenger, What’s App, and WeChat are an example of how this prediction came true. But don’t stop there: This study indicated that Millennials actually use Instagram as a mobile messaging app 47% of the time, just behind the top Facebook Messenger at 50% and tied with Snapchat.
Takeaway: To truly humanize your brand on Instagram, consider building relationships with other Instagram users by communicating with them one-on-one through Sliding into the DM.
Which of the above Instagram statistics for 2019 did you find especially compelling? Any other takeaways to add? Fire away!
For another look at Instagram statistics for 2019, check out this great infographic from FameMass.
Neal Schaffer is a leading authority on helping businesses through their digital transformation of sales and marketing through consulting, training, and helping enterprises large and small develop and execute on social media marketing strategy, influencer marketing, and social selling initiatives. President of the social media agency PDCA Social, Neal also teaches digital media to executives at Rutgers University, the Irish Management Institute (Ireland), and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland). Fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, Neal is a popular keynote speaker and has been invited to speak about digital media on four continents in a dozen countries. He is also the author of 3 books on social media, including Maximize Your Social (Wiley), and in late 2019 will publish his 4th book, The Business of Influence (HarperCollins), on educating the market on the why and how every business should leverage the potential of influencer marketing. Neal resides in Irvine, California but also frequently travels to Japan.
@nealschaffer