The top statistics to guide your 2020 Instagram strategy [Infographic]

With the plethora of social media platforms today, it can be tough to find the right one for your business.

Each platform offers unique solutions and opportunities for brands, influencers, and consumers, making it difficult to find the perfect fit. 

However, with the increasing demand for visual content and e-commerce, Instagram has been a stand-out performer in recent memory.

Growing to over 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram was the fastest growing social media platform in 2019.

Much of this growth came from the innovations to shopping and engagement that users and businesses are taking advantage of every day. 

As you dive into your 2020 social media strategies, I am sure you have been doing your research on each platform.

To help you in your strategizing, Hootsuite has provided an infographic for the top statistics you need to know to guide your Instagram strategy in 2020.

Instagram users are active every day

Of the over 1 billion active monthly users on Instagram, 63% are logging in every single day.

In terms of the percentage of total users, that puts them only behind their parent company, Facebook. This duo of social media giants continues to lead the way for other platforms in the space.

These aren’t quick check-ins during a bathroom break either.

Instagram users are projected to spend an average of 28 minutes per day on the platform, meaning users are very likely to engage with a lot of content per day.

The question is, what kind of content are users actually engaging with?

Instagram stories and shoppable tags are powerful tools

Instagram has built out a number of tools for businesses and influencers to take advantage of, with more on the way in 2020. 

There are two tools in particular that are having a noticeable impact on the platform: Instagram stories and shoppable tags. 

Instagram stories

For those who may not know, Instagram stories started as a response to Snapchat’s rise in popularity.

What makes themso appealing is that they allow users to post pictures or videos that only remain on their feed for 24 hours before disappearing.

Because of this inherent time limit, stories are the go-to feature for posting real-time updates or limited time offers for your personal brand or business. 

In 2019, over 500 million users posted or viewed Instagram stories on a daily basis.

With half a billion people viewing stories every day, it would be a mistake not to tap into that market.

Plus, if you are already on Instagram, 500 million is 50% of all Instagram users! Even if your followers were to miss an image, your story is an easy way to connect with them on the platform.

More than one-third of the most-viewed Instagram stories actually come from businesses. And these businesses are posting stories very actively as well, posting an average of 2.5 times per week.

A great example of this is HubSpot, who recently did an activity on their story challenging their followers in a classic game of “Are you smarter than an industry marketing leader?”

Image via HubSpot

As you look to differentiate your brand through stories, consider using its live video feature.

Not only does it mark your story as *Live*, but there is also a built-in chat feature that will allow you to talk with users watching your live feed in real-time! 

Live video provides a more human and personal interaction for the user, developing trust with you and your brand. 

Further, brand videos are influencing purchase decisions. 79% of live stream viewers become convinced they should make a purchase of a product or service after watching a live stream or brand video. 

Shoppable tags and e-commerce 

The advertising reach for Instagram is pretty astounding at approximately 849.3 million users. As we know, however, advertising reach doesn’t always equate to sales.

The difference is that Instagram has the tools in place to make your advertising efforts a success.

Instagram’s shoppable tags allow brands to post images or videos of their products with a digital price tag that takes users directly to their e-commerce site on Instagram. 

Picture this: 

You are scrolling through your Instagram feed and you see a nice new pair of shoes you really like. You stop, staring at the image for a few seconds, then you say, “You know what, I’d look amazing in those shoes. I’m going to buy them right here, right now.” 

Instead of needing to go search the brand on Google then hunting through the brand’s website to find that exact pair, you can now tap on the image and make the purchase directly on Instagram.

Magnanni Shoes does a nice job of using shoppable tags to promote and sell their products while still making the visuals desirable.

Image via Magnanni Shoes

Using stories and video plus implementing these shoppable tags creates a win-win situation for consumers and businesses alike.

Consumers have content they can engage with and enjoy while businesses have consumers looking to buy their products and services. Instagram is at the center of that success.  

Businesses are seeing the value

For 2020, it is projected that over 75% of businesses in the United States will use Instagram. 

Shocking right? 

Well, would it surprise you that over 200 million Instagram users visit a business account every day? One in five people on Instagram is visiting a business account every day. 

That makes you wonder, “What is bringing them back each day?”

Businesses who are using Instagram effectively are creating engaging content that consumers really care about, especially in Instagram stories.

In 2019, it was found that the completion rate of brand stories was 85% compared to approximately 70% for regular users.

To keep users on their stories and interacting with their content, businesses are using the unique tools and features found in stories to make them more engaging.

60% of businesses are taking advantage of interactive elements on their Instagram posts, using built-in features like location tags or polling stickers. 

Remember our example of HubSpot’s “Are you smarter than an industry marketing leader?” For their story, they used polling questions and sliders to get users to interact with their content while continuing to deliver value.

Image via HubSpot

How do I get started?

It is essential to figure out the platform you believe will be most successful for our specific brand.

Instagram may sound great in this article, but it may not be the right choice for you.

When choosing the right social media platform for your business, the most important thing to consider is where your customers are. Having great content on Instagram while your audience is on LinkedIn is a waste of time and effort.

To see if you and Instagram are a match made in heaven, I highly recommend you check out Hootsuite’s complete breakdown of the top Instagram statistics for 2020. 

When you are ready to get started building your social media strategy, check out our complete guide to building a social media following, where we break down the top-performing social media platforms and what makes each of them an option for your brand or business.