Ad spend on video on the rise, brands continue to lean towards Instagram
Transparency debates, the growth of Instagram and the impact of influencer marketing: it was an eventful year for social media. In its trend report, the social media marketing platform Socialbakers has compiled what can be deduced from this for 2019 and which other trends will be important in the coming year.
The most important findings at a glance:
- A comparison of the distribution of advertising expenditure between Facebook and Instagram shows that the number of ads on Instagram increased in 2018, while the proportion of total advertising expenditure on Facebook fell (see chart).
- The number of advertising campaigns on Instagram reached its highest growth rate in June. Just as the number of users continues to rise, the investments made by marketers will also continue to increase.
- Photos are the most heavily promoted type of content on Facebook. However, videos are on the rise. In September, advertising spend on videos was almost on a par with that of photos. This is an indicator that the popularity of the format is continuing to grow.
- Facebook is primarily consumed on mobile, which is why brands need to invest more in mobile advertising. Compared to desktop ads, this is not only cheaper, but also more effective.
Engagement: Facebook vs. Instagram
Marketers are achieving more effective results with campaigns in the Facebook universe in terms of scale and audience engagement than on competing platforms. With 2.6 billion monthly active users, Facebook and its associated services remain the place where the largest consumer-to-brand engagement takes place.
In terms of engagement per user, however, Instagram is ahead. Although the platform has a smaller overall audience compared to Facebook, users are far more involved. Instagram is becoming an increasingly important platform for high-quality engagement within smaller, targeted communities.
Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO, Socialbakers, explains: "No other platform currently comes close to Facebook and its associated services in terms of audience size and engagement. We have seen an increase in ads on Instagram in particular this year and this will continue in the coming year. It is therefore important that brands make data-driven decisions about how to allocate their advertising budgets. This is the only way they can maximize their reach, engagement and business impact."
Socialbakers has summarized these and other social media topics for the coming year in the trend report "Most Important Social Media Trends to Remember in 2019". The data for this comes from over ten billion pieces of social media content generated by more than 17 million profiles. Socialbakers also has insight into over three billion dollars in social media advertising spend. The report can be downloaded free of charge here.
