Using Instagram for your business? 24 stats to know

Did you know that Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users? That means you have millions upon millions of opportunities every month to globally market your brand. Well, okay, maybe not millions upon millions, but there’s definitely a lot of opportunity when it comes to leveraging the tools and growing reach of Facebook’s greatest acquisition.

Here are some stats to help you get more informed on Instagram, so you can make the most of it for your business:

An Overview

1. Instagram is the second-most-engaged social media platform (after Facebook).

2. It’s also now the fastest-growing social network, at 5% growth per quarter.

3. 83% of users say they discover new products and services on Instagram.

4. 30% of users say they’ve bought a product they discovered on Instagram.

5. There are over 25 million brand accounts on Instagram, with 80% of users following at least one.

6. Users spend an average of 53 minutes per day on Instagram.

The Users 

7. 80% of Instagram users are outside of the U.S.

8. 121 million users are located in the U.S.

9. Of all U.S. users, just over half (55%) are female.

10. 71% of the billion monthly active users on the Instagram app are under the age of 35.

11. Of users in the U.S., 42% have an income of $75k/yr+ annually.

12. 32.6% of users are between 25-34 years old, with 18-24-year-olds making up a further 23.7% share.

13. 10% of the 65 year-old+ crowd also utilize Instagram.

Tips on Using Instagram for Your Business

14. Use a location tag: Adding one to your Instagram post can increase engagement by 79%.

15. Feature faces: Instagram images with faces receive 38% more likes.

16. Use hashtags: Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.

17. Post more videos: Videos receive 38% more engagement than photo posts and 2.1x the number of comments; also, time spent watching videos on Instagram is up more than 80% year over year.

18. Sponsor video posts: Sponsored videos get 3x more comments than sponsored photos.

19. Tag others: Posts that include another user handle in the caption net 56% more engagement.

20. Hashtag your brand and taglines: 70% of the most-used hashtags are branded.

21. Use the stories feature:  80% of all daily active Instagram users are watching stories just as often as they’re checking their feed; plus, one-third of the most-viewed Instagram stories are from businesses.

22. If you’re leveraging influencers, and have the option, opt for female: On average, women get 5x more likes than men.

23. Post on Thursdays: Of course, this one can vary based on who you're targeting, but one study revealed that Thursday is the best day to post on Instagram.

24. Post at the Right Time: Again, this one depends on who you're targeting -- but the best time to post on Instagram, according to one study, is between 8 and 9 a.m.

We hope these stats inspire you to test a few new ideas, and ultimately, get more out of Instagram for your business.