Facebook for Marketers: The Numbers
By
Hailey Mason

General Statistics

  • 1.26 billion users passed in Q3’13.
  • 1.19B MAUs (Monthly Active Users) worldwide as of Q3’13 — an increase of about 18% (18.1%) from Q3’12, and an increase of nearly 50% (48.7%) from Q3’11.
  • 20 billion minutes is the collective amount of time spent daily by users worldwide in Jun 2013. This is equal to about 8.3 hours per month per user in Jun 2013.
  • 67% of American Internet users across all age groups use Facebook. In the U.K., it’s 82%. The largest U.S. age category for usage is 18 to 29-year olds, with 83% of them using Facebook.
  • 66% of social media sharing via mobile (American users) is from Facebook’s iPhone app. Facebook is the most popular smartphone social media app.
  • About 75% of American Internet users having some college education use Facebook.
  • 73% of American Internet users in the $75K and above per year salary range use Facebook. Only 17% of this category uses Twitter; 13% use Pinterest.
  • 69% of American Internet users in the $50K-$74,999 yearly salary range use Facebook.
  • 62% of American Internet users in the $30K-$49,999 yearly salary range use Facebook.
  • 68% of American Internet users in the less than $30K yearly salary range use Facebook.
  • 150 billion total friend connections worldwide (as of Feb 2013).
  • 4.75 billion items shared daily (as of Sep 2013).
  • 6% of users log in to their Facebook account at least once a day (as of Apr 2013).
  • 40 page likes per user, on average (as of Aug 2013).
  • 250 million users play Facebook games each month (as of Mar 2013).

Mobile Usage, Monthly

Facebook usage on mobile devices has enjoyed steady growth for at least 10 quarters — from Q2 2011 to Q3 2013, in terms of Mobile MAUs worldwide — and is a significant means of engaging on the network:

  1. 325M – Q2’11
  2. 376M – Q3’11
  3. 432M – Q4’11
  4. 488M – Q1’12
  5. 543M – Q2’12
  6. 604M – Q3’12
  7. 680M – Q4’12
  8. 751M – Q1’13
  9. 819M – Q2’13
  10. 874M – Q3’13 — An increase of about 45% (44.7%) from Q3’12, and an increase of about 132% (132.4%) from Q3’11.

User Behavior Data

User behavior data is amongst some of the most potentially-rich marketing information, with or without user demographic information (age, sex, salary breakdown), as it provides a sense of topical importance. Examples of useful behavior data includes popular topics of discussion, important life events, and location check-ins.
Verbatim from Facebook’s 2013 Year in Review, here are some examples of user behavior data.

Top Life Events in the U.S.

The top 10 life events for American users:

  1. Added a Relationship
  2. Got Married
  3. Got Engaged
  4. Traveled
  5. Moved
  6. Ended a Relationship
  7. Had a Baby
  8. Expecting a Baby
  9. First Met
  10. Lost a Loved One

Most Talked About Topics in the U.S.

The top ten most-talked about topics in 2013 by American Facebook users:

  1. Super Bowl
  2. Government Shutdown
  3. Boston Marathon
  4. Syria Crisis
  5. Harlem Shake
  6.  Pope Francis
  7. George Zimmerman
  8. Royal Baby
  9. Nelson Mandela
  10. Presidential Inauguration

Most Talked About By Category in the U.S.

The 10 most-talked about categories by topic by American Facebook users:

  1. Sports – Super Bowl
  2. Movies – The Conjuring
  3. TV Shows – Scandal
  4. Music – Get Lucky by Daft Punk*
  5. Books – “Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander” by Phil Robertson
  6. Games – Criminal Case by Pretty Simple Games
  7. Public Figures – Peyton Manning
  8. Politics – Government Shutdown
  9. Technology – Instagram
  10. Viral Moments – Harlem Shake

*Most Played on Facebook via Spotify

Top Check-Ins in the U.S.

Top 10 American locations check-in at:

  1. Disneyland & Disney California Adventure (Anaheim, CA)
  2. Times Square (New York, NY)
  3. Epcot – Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)
  4. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
  5. AT&T Park (San Francisco, CA)
  6. Rangers Ballpark (Arlington, TX)
  7. Universal Studios Hollywood (Universal City, CA)
  8. Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
  9. MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, NV)
  10. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (Houston, TX)

Top Check-Ins Worldwide

Of the top 25 check-in locations worldwide, the brand that stands out the most is Disneyland with four different locations. In decreasing order of check-ins, they are:

  • France: Disneyland Paris, Marne La Vallée
  • Hong Kong: Hong Kong Disneyland
  • Japan: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo
  • United States: Disneyland, Anaheim, California

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