20 Things Every Brand Should Know About Instagram

 In NEWS

As a Millennial, I can attest to the fact that Instagram is an effective platform when it comes to reaching me with ads. I find the sponsored ads on Instagram to be relevant and appealing–not annoying, like so many other platforms. I’ve made multiple purchases off of them (or other items from that particular brand), and actually found a few interesting startups to write about, as well.

Don’t take my word for it. Here are some hard facts about Instagram, both shopping-related and otherwise: (info from Websitebuilder.orgStatista, and Omnicore.)

1. Over half of all 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.S. are on Instagram

It’s 55 percent, to be exact. If you’re looking to connect with this audience, it’s a good idea to be here.

2. Adult users in the U.S. have doubled since 2012

Remember that this isn’t just new users joining, but younger users coming of age.

3. 31 percent of female internet users are on Instagram, compared to 21 percent of male internet users

The fact is, Instagram is more female: a whopping 68 percent of its users are female. #girlsrule

4. 56 percent of Instagram users make $50,000/year or more

To get more exact, 26 percent make $75,000 or more. Not everyone is a starving student.

5. Instagram has about 400 million active daily users…

… and counting. It has 700 million active monthly users.

6. Instagram brought in $1.3 billion in global mobile ad revenue in 2017

This amounted to 8.4 percent of Facebook’s global mobile ad revenue. That number is expected to rise to 18 percent by 2018.

7. The most popular photo on Instagram has close to 6 million likes

Is there even a question that it’s of Queen Bey?

8. Selena Gomez is the most followed celebrity on Instagram

If she were a country and her followers were that country’s population, it would be the 12th most populous country in the world. And one of her most popular pictures ever was for Coca Cola.

9. The top filters in the world are Clarendon, Juno, and Gingham

Making your next selfie simple.

10. The most popular hashtags for marketing are:

#social #branding #socialmedia #success #sales #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #marketing #branding #tech #business #contestalert #sweepstakes #giveaway #discount #travel #deal #smallbiz

11. The most popular hashtags in general are:

#love #instagood #photooftheday #tbt #beautiful #cute #me #selfie #tagforlikes #happy #followme #fashion #summer #picoftheday #like4likes #fun #art #friends #instadaily #girl #smile #repost

12. The top 5 countries by visitors are:

5. The UK – 3.97 percent
4. Turkey – 5.4 percent
3. Brazil – 5.43 percent
2. Russia – 8.84 percent
1. U.S. – 19.22 percent

13. 48.8 percent of brands are on Instagram

This number is expected to rise to 70.7% by the end of 2017.

14. 50 percent of people on Instagram follow at least one brand

I personally follow more than one. Top ones that come to mind are Oreo, NatGeo, the Red Sox, and, of course, Inc.

15. In 2017, top brands are posting 4.9 times per week on Instagram

This is a 50 percent increase from 2015.

16. Performance campaigns work

~70 percent of performance campaigns generate statistically significant lifts for online conversion or mobile app installs.

17. 5 percent of people on Instagram take action after being inspired by a post

Actions include searching, shopping, sending to a friend, or visiting a website.

18. The top 5 brands on Instagram are:

5. Nike Football: 28.2M followers
4. 9GAG: 40.2M followers
3. Victoria’s Secret: 55.6M followers
2. Nike: 72.3M followers
1. National Geographic: 77.7M followers

19. There are 1 million active advertisers on the platform

This is as of March, 2017.

20. The best times to post on Instagram are:

Sunday: 5pm
Monday: 7pm and 10pm
Tuesday: 3am and 10pm
Wednesday: 5pm
Thursday: 7am and 11pm
Friday: 1am and 8pm
Saturday: 12am and 2am