40+ Mind-Blowing Facts About Digital Marketing You Probably Didn't Know

Introduction

Digital marketing has become an important part of every company's marketing strategy. It is a process that uses the Internet and other digital platforms to promote and sell products or services. Digital marketing has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 1990s.

It has evolved from a simple form of marketing to a complex and ever-changing process. The history of digital marketing is indeed engrossing. For instance, did you know that the first email was sent in 1971? Or that the first advertising banner was placed in 1994?

In this article, we will take a look at some mind-blowing facts about digital marketing that you probably did not know. We will also see how it has developed over the years and its importance to businesses today.

So if you are a business owner or a marketer, read on to learn some incredible facts!

The history of digital marketing

What started as sending mass emails and placing banner ads has grown into a complex, multi-billion dollar industry that touches every aspect of modern life. From the way we consume media to the way we shop to the way we vote, digital marketing has shaped the world as we know it.

It is now a multi-faceted discipline that encompasses everything from search engine optimization (SEO) to social media marketing to email marketing...

Today, online marketing is considered an essential component of any comprehensive marketing strategy. Because of its growth, it has become a powerful tool for reaching target audiences in more creative and effective ways.

To understand how quickly Internet marketing has grown, consider the following:

• The beginnings of digital marketing date back to the 1970s. One of the first key events happened in 1971 when Ray Tomlinson sent the first email.

• The recognizable period as being the start of digital marketing is 1990 as this was when the Archie search engine was created.

• The first website was published on August 6, 1991.

• The first banner ad was created on October 21, 1994, by HotWired, a website that was part of the Wired Digital network.

• The first online purchase was made in August 1994.

• The domain name www.google.com was registered on September 15, 1997, and the company was incorporated on September 4, 1998.

• There are over 5 billion active Internet users worldwide.

• In the early days of the Internet, there were only a handful of websites. Today, there are over 1.7 billion websites. And that number is growing.

Source

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You probably know that search engine optimization can help your website rank better in search engine results pages (SERPs), but did you know that it can also help you increase your click-through rate (CTR)? A well-optimized website not only appears higher up in the SERPs but also entices users to click.

SEO is one of the most powerful tools in a company's marketing arsenal. And yet, many businesses still do not know what SEO can do for them.

Here are some facts about the power of SEO that you probably are not aware of:

• 51% of website traffic is driven by organic search.

• The first result of a Google search accounts for almost 32% of all clicks.

• 70% of marketers think SEO delivers better results than PPC.

• 67.6% of all clicks go to the first five organic results.

• Google dominates the search engines, accounting for 92.42% of all global desktop search traffic. It’s followed by Bing at 3.20%, Yahoo at 1.32%, and Baidu at 0.77%.

• 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results.

• Over 3.5 billion searches are performed daily on Google.

• 44% of businesses utilize SEO.

Content Marketing

It's no secret that content still plays the lead role in online marketing. But there are a few facts about content that you may not be familiar with. For example, did you know that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in the text?

Or that content marketing is the most effective way to promote a business? If you think you already know everything there is to know about content marketing, you need to be proven wrong.

Here are some captivating facts worth checking out:

• 97% of bloggers promote their blog posts on social media. 

• Companies with blogs produce 67% more leads each month than those without. 

• 6 out of 10 consumers are inspired to check out a product after reading useful and relevant content about it. 

• 47% of B2B customers view three to five posts before talking to a salesperson.

• Content marketing generates more than three times as many leads as traditional advertising methods — and costs 62% less.

• Companies that regularly update their blogs generate 55% more website visitors. Also, they receive 97% more inbound links and 434% more indexed pages. 

• The top four formats marketers leverage in their content strategy are videos, blogs, images, and infographics.

Email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels around. Not only is it affordable, but it also allows you to reach a large audience with your message. However, there are some things about email marketing that you may not know.

For example, did you know that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42? Not only that, 72% of consumers report that they are more inclined to open an email that offers a discount.

And if that does not convince you, how about this: Email is 40% better at converting (in comparison to Facebook and Twitter).

Here are some more facts about email marketing that you should know:

• The average person spends 2.5 hours a day reading their email.

• 87 percent of marketers use email marketing to distribute their content.

• Email marketing is mostly used for lead generation (85%), sales (84%), lead nurturing (78%), and customer retention (74%).

• There are more than 319,000,000,000 emails sent per day worldwide.

• 61% of consumers would like to be contacted by brands through email.

• The average click-through rate is around 21.5% across all industries.

• 29% of marketers rate email marketing as the most effective marketing channel (25% for social media, 22% for SEO, and 25% for content marketing).

• 61% of subscribers customers would like to receive promotional emails every week, and 38% – more frequently.

Related Resources:

• Everything you need to know about digital marketing.

• What is a digital marketing agency?

• 10 Top leading digital marketing agencies in Kenya.

Social media 

But there are some facts about social media marketing that you may not be aware of. For example, did you know that:

• The average person spends nearly two hours and 25 minutes every day on social media. 

• 54% of social browsers use social media to research products and services.

• 91% of all social media users access social channels via mobile devices.

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and there’s no denying its impact on the world. From staying connected with friends and family to staying up-to-date on current events, social media networks have changed the way we communicate and consume information.

While you may already be well-versed in the basics of social media, there are still there are many interesting facts about social media that even the most avid users may not be aware of...

Facebook

• Facebook (Meta Platforms) isn’t just the largest social media platform – it’s also the largest site in the world. With over 2.9 billion monthly active users.

• Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook on 4, February 2004.

• Other Facebook founders are Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, and Chris Hughes.

• Facebook's mission is to enable people to build community and bring the world closer together.

• Facebook is the most popular social network in almost every country in the world.

• Facebook is available in over 110 languages.

• Originally, Facebook was to be called "TheFacebook".

• The highest traffic occurs on Wednesday and Thursday at midday.

• Facebook reported that 2.14 billion people can be reached through ads. 

• Largest age group: 25-34 (31.5%).

• Gender: 43% female, 57% male.

• The "Like" button was originally going to be called the "Awesome" button.

• The average cost per click for any Facebook ad is $1.72

• Facebook is the 3rd most visited website in the world. It’s second only behind Google and YouTube.

Instagram

Did you know that Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion users per month, or that posts that include geolocation receive nearly 80% more engagement than posts without geolocation? Or that 62% of users log into their accounts at least once a day?

And while you may think you know all about this photo-sharing app, some facts might surprise you.

For example, did you know that Instagram was originally launched to share photos with friends? Or that you can follow hashtags on Instagram? It's a great way to discover new content and share it with like-minded people.

Speaking of hashtags, did you know that there are over 930 million posts with the hashtag #instagram? That's a whole lot of posts!

Here are a few more stats about Instagram:

• It was founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and later acquired by Facebook Inc., now known as Meta Platforms.

• 14.2% of posts on Instagram are videos.

• 71.9% of posts on Instagram are photos.

• 13.9% of posts on Instagram are carousels.

• The first photo ever posted to Instagram was of a dog near a taco stand, taken by Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom.

• On average Instagram users engage most in the afternoon, particularly between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

• Instagram users spend almost as much time on the platform as Facebook users. They browse for an average of 53 minutes per day versus Facebook’s 58 minutes per day.

• 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services on the platform.

• 200 million users check out at least one business profile each day.

• You can upload videos that are up to 60 minutes long.

• There are over  500 million daily active Stories.

• 48.4% are female, while 51.8% are male.

• 31.2% of Instagram users are 25-34-year-olds.

• Largest age group: is 25-34 (31.2%), with 18-24 close behind at 31%.

• Out of the 25-34 age group, 16.4% are male and 14.8% are female users.

• You can buy products directly from businesses on Instagram.

• The estimated advertising reach for Instagram users is 1.45 billion.

• On average, brands post 2.5 stories per week.

Youtube

YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the internet, with over a billion users worldwide. It's a great platform for sharing videos and connecting with people from all over the world. But YouTube has a lot more to offer than just cat videos and vloggers.

Here are some mesmerizing facts about YouTube:

• It was founded on February 14, 2005, by three former PayPal employees: Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.

• YouTube was originally founded as a video dating website. That's right - the 3 founders wanted to create a dating website. They soon realized that the site could be used for much more than just dating, and the rest is history.

• It was acquired by Google in October 2006, 18 months after posting its first video and 10 months after its official launch.

• The first YouTube video, titled "Me at the zoo," was uploaded on April 23, 2005. It shows YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo.

• YouTube is the second most popular site in the world, after Google.

• YouTube has a potential ad reach of 2.4 billion.

• 1 billion hours are watched on YouTube each day!

• 46% of users are female and  54% are male.

• 500 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute.

• The average user is on YouTube for 11 minutes and 24 seconds each day.

• YouTube has more than 2 billion logged-in users each month.

LinkedIn

You are probably already familiar with LinkedIn, a social networking site that has become increasingly popular in recent years. It is used by professionals to connect with other professionals, find jobs and advance their careers.

LinkedIn is also used by businesses to share company updates and to find and recruit employees. But did you know that LinkedIn has over  830 million users worldwide in 200 countries and territories? And that two new members sign up on LinkedIn every second?

Founded by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly in December 2002 and launched on May 5, 2003, LinkedIn has come a long way in just a few short years.

Here are some more fascinating facts about LinkedIn:

• 90 million users are senior-level influencers, and 63 million are in decision-making positions.

• Every second, 95 job applications get submitted, while 6 people get hired every minute on LinkedIn.  

• 87 million millennials are on LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn has 63 million unique mobile visitors each month.

• The average user spends 17 minutes on LinkedIn each month.

• Advertisers have a slightly higher chance of reaching more men than women on LinkedIn. The ad audience distribution is 57.2% male and 42.8%, female.

• Largest age group: 25-34 (58.4%).

• Gender: 48% female, 52% male.

• The average time a LinkedIn user spends is 7 minutes and 38 seconds on the platform per visit.

• The best time to reach people on LinkedIn is when your target audience is on a break during a workday. This is typically around 12:00 p.m. or 10:00 a.m. 

• There are over 58 million company pages on LinkedIn. 

• LinkedIn reports that 828.1 million can be reached with LinkedIn adverts.

Did you know all this about LinkedIn? Probably not! But now you do. So if you want to connect with other professionals or advance your career, LinkedIn is the place for you.

Related Resources:

• Digital marketing strategies for small businesses.

• 17 benefits of digital marketing for business.

• 12 crucial skills you need to succeed as a digital marketer.

Twitter

Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to share short messages of up to 280 characters (the character limit was expanded in November 2017, from 140 – 280).

It was created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams on March 21, 2006, and launched in July of that year, and has since become one of the most popular social networks in the world.

Here are some facts about Twitter:

• It was originally developed as a microblogging platform.

• The Twitter bird is named Larry Bird and is a species of bird known as a blue tit or chaffinch.

• The first tweet was sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey on March 21, 2006, and it read – “just setting up my twttr” by @jack the site was launched in 2007.

• Twitter is the 9th most visited website globally.

• Twitter is the world’s 7th favorite social media platform.

• The average user spends 5.1 hours a month on Twitter.

• One-fifth of Twitter users under 30 visit the site too frequently to keep track.

• Almost half of Twitter’s audience consumes news regularly on the platform.

• 46% of Twitter users say that using the platform has helped them to understand the world.

• 54% of Twitter’s audience is more likely to purchase new products.

• Largest age group: 18-29 (42%).

• Gender: 38.4% female, 61.6% male.

• People will spend 6 minutes per day on Twitter in 2022.

• Twitter’s CPM is the lowest out of all the major platforms.

• There are over 500 million Tweets sent per day.

• People tweet about soccer more than any other sport.

• 77% of Twitter users feel more positive about brands that are community and society-focused.

• Twitter has a potential ad reach of 465.1 million.

• Twitter’s ad reach is 5.9% of the global population.

• Twitter’s male ad reach is 71.2% male and 28.8% female.

Mobile Marketing

You probably know that mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular and that more and more people are using them to access the Internet. But did you know that mobile devices are now the preferred choice for Internet use and have overtaken desktop computers?

With mobile devices being the number one choice for internet usage, it's no surprise that mobile marketing is also on the rise. And as a business, you need to make sure you keep up with the latest mobile marketing trends.

Here are a few facts about mobile marketing:

• The world’s first mass-produced mobile phone was the Nokia 1011, released back in November 1992.

•  In 2022 Mobile will take the number one spot with a 51% share of ad spending.

• 52 % of PPC clicks come from mobile.

• 52.2% of the world's internet traffic comes from mobile devices.

• 66% of emails are read on a smartphone or tablet

• There are now more than 7 billion mobile devices in use worldwide. That's more than one for every person on the planet!

• Mobile ad spending is reported to be $341 billion in 2021 and is expected to be almost $500 billion by 2024.

• 18% of Facebook users only use the platform on mobile.

• 61% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from mobile-friendly sites.

• 53% of mobile users will close a website if it takes more than three seconds to load.

• 57% of users say they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.

The future of digital marketing

Digital marketing is evolving at a rapid pace. Innovations in technologies and platforms are constantly emerging, and creative ways to reach and engage consumers are being created. As the digital landscape changes, so must the way we market to consumers.

So what does the future of digital advertising look like? We can only speculate that in the future, more companies will use AI and machine learning to automate their marketing activities.

We will also see more personalization and customization as companies strive to provide a more personalized experience for their customers. And as more people use mobile devices, we will see a shift toward mobile-first marketing strategies.

These are just a few of the trends we believe will shape the future of online advertising. So what does this mean for businesses?

They need to be prepared to adapt and move with the times or risk losing out. To stay ahead, companies need to constantly adapt their digital marketing strategies.

They must experiment with cutting-edge platforms and new technologies and be prepared to take risks. Only through constant innovation will companies be able to keep pace with the ever-changing digital landscape.

Interested in getting more stats? Check out the Digital 2022 July Global Statshot Report (Jul 2022) below.

In conclusion, the digital marketing landscape is full of mind-blowing facts that are often unknown to many. As a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry, it's essential to stay informed on the latest developments and trends.

At Tabala Digital Solutions, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of digital marketing innovation. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing top-notch digital marketing services tailored to meet the unique needs of your business.

Whether you need help with SEO, social media marketing, or any other aspect of online marketing, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to help you reach your marketing goals and grow your business.