Social Media Marketing for Small Business in 2023: What the Data Tells Us

The recently released Digital 2023 report from DataReportal is packed with interesting data points about the major social media platforms.

As of January 2023, almost all Americans—91.8% or 311.3 million—use the internet. Most of those—72.5% or 246 million—use social media. And there are more active mobile connections (383.4 million) than Americans (339.1 million)—equivalent to 113.1% of the total U.S. population.

On an average day, internet users in the U.S. ages 16-64 spend 6 hours, 59 minutes using the internet, and 2 hours, 18 minutes on social media. Do not make the all-too-common mistake of dismissing social media users as a bunch of kids. A deeper dive into the social media stats show that of the 246 million social users, 235.1 million were 18 and older—88.6% of the population—and 53.9% were women.

This means that your small business needs a website (Zippia reports that only 71% of small businesses do) optimized for mobile usage. And that if you want to reach consumers, you must be active on social media.

Social media and your business

Why do Americans use social media? According to DataReportal, the top six reasons are:

1. Keeping in touch with friends and family—56.7%
2. Filling spare time—39.1%
3. Finding content—28.5%
4. See what’s being talked about—26.8%
5. Reading news stories—26.4%
6. Finding inspiration for things to do and buy—24.7%

Plus 18.4% turn to social networks to see content from businesses, and 18.2% use social media to find products to buy.

Your business, therefore, needs to create a solid social media marketing strategy that focuses on establishing a strong online presence and engaging with potential customers. Here are some steps to develop a successful social media strategy:

1. Define your target audience

Identify your ideal customer and the channels they use most frequently. This helps you focus your efforts and tailor your content to their preferences.

2. Set goals

What do you want to achieve? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound (SMART).

3. Choose the right platforms

Select the social media platforms that align with your target audience and goals. (See more platform details below.)

4. Create a content plan

Your content plan should align with your goals and audience preferences. Consistency is key, so establish a regular posting schedule and stick to it. Create a mix of content types such as text, images, videos, and stories.

5. Engage with your audience

Many business owners skip this step, which negates the whole point of social media. Make sure you quickly respond to comments and messages.

6. Monitor your performance

Keep track of your social media performance by monitoring your analytics regularly. Then, use the data to adjust your strategy, optimize your content, and improve your engagement.

7. Experiment and iterate

Experiment with new content types, platforms, and tactics. Not everything will work, but the more you try, the more you learn about what works best for your business.

Social media site usage

Let’s look at the latest U.S. social media stats for sites from the DataReportal report. All info is as of January 2023.

Facebook by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 175 million
• Ad reach: 60.9% of the “eligible” audience—Americans aged 13 and older; potential ad reach decreased by 2.6% (4.7 million people) from 2022 to 2023
• Web traffic referrals: 51.8%
• Users: 54.7% women, 45.3% men

Instagram by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 143.4 million
• Ad reach: 49.9% of the “eligible” audience—Americans aged 13 and older; potential ad reach decreased by 10.3% (16 million people) between 2022 and 2023
• Web traffic referrals: 13.5%
• Users: 56% women, 44% men

YouTube by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 246 million
• Ad reach: 72.5% of the total U.S. population (79% of U.S. internet users); potential ad reach decreased by 0.4% (1 million people) between 2022 and 2023 (but increased by 0.4% between October 2022 and January 2023)
• Web traffic referrals: 2.1%
• Users: 51.4% women, 48.6% men

TikTok by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 113.3 million
• Ad reach: 42.7% of the U.S. population aged 18 and older*; potential ad reach decreased by 13.5% (18 million people) between 2022 and 2023 (but increased by 3.4% between October 2022 and January 2023)
• Users: 55.6% women, 44.4% men

*Marketers can target TikTok users aged 13 and older, but they are not reflected in the data

LinkedIn by the numbers

• Number of U.S. members: 200 million
• Ad reach: 75.47% of the "eligible" U.S. population—Americans aged 18 and older; potential ad reach increased by 11.1% (20 million people) between 2022 and 2023
• Web traffic referrals: 0.5%
• Users: 49.4% women, 50.6% men

Snapchat by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 107.4 million
• Ad reach: 37.4% of the "eligible" U.S. population—Americans aged 13 and older; potential ad reach increased by 0.3% (300,000 people) between 2022 and 2023
• Users: 54.9% women, 44.9% men

Twitter by the numbers*

• Number of U.S. users: 95.4 million
• Ad reach: 33.2% of the "eligible" U.S. population—Americans aged 13 and older; potential ad reach decreased by 24.1% (19 million people) between 2022 and 2023
• Web traffic referrals: 13.3%
• Users: 37.1% women, 62.9% men

*Note from DataReportal: “Please note that the figures published in Twitter’s planning tools appear to be liable to significant fluctuation—even over short periods of time—and these anomalies may impact the reliability and representativeness of this data.”

Pinterest by the numbers

• Number of U.S. users: 84.6 million
• Ad reach: 29.4% of the "eligible" U.S. population—Americans aged 13 and older; potential ad reach decreased by 2% (1.8 million people) between 2022 and 2023
• Web traffic referrals: 16.3%
• Users: 78.4% women, 12.9% men; 8.7% “unspecified gender”

Make social media a key part of your total marketing strategy

This has been a tumultuous year for many social media platforms, so monitoring your results is even more critical. And remember, social media is just one piece of your overall marketing strategy. It should complement and support your other marketing efforts, such as email marketing, SEO, and advertising.