The world went online during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and, as we slowly come out of lockdown, it seems the world wants to stay there. An international survey has released statistics about global online usage during the early stages of the world-wide lockdown; what is most interesting about the survey though, is the intentions of internet users. It seems we’ve further embraced the idea of doing things on the internet, and will continue to do so. This represents an enormous opportunity for your business. Is your digital marketing up to it?
Some of the more fascinating findings from the survey include these gems:
- 23% of global respondents spent more time on their tablet.
- 31% spent more time on their desktop computer.
- 45% spent considerably more time on their laptops.
- 77% spent more time on their smartphone during the lockdown.
At the same time, social media channels reported marked increases in participation usage during the lockdown. Social media channels accounted for half the time we spent on our smartphones even before COVID-19, and that figure rose even further as we retreated into our bubbles. In this part of the world, 38% of Australian internet users aged 16 to 64 said they spent more time on social media during the lockdown. Lockdown restrictions In New Zealand were even tighter than across the Tasman and this is reflected in the number of internet users on social media; 47% of people aged 16 to 64 said that they spent more hours of every day engaging with the rest of the world through social media.
This obviously had a huge impact on the advertising audience on all social media platforms. Facebook, the leader in this field, reported a 4% increase which, given the sheer size of the channel, is a dramatic surge in the number of people looking at its ads. It is estimated that advertisers can now be seen by more than 2 billion people on Facebook, with other social channels like Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest also seeing more eyes on their promotional content.
Something to note, is that statistics probably won’t decrease when lockdown restrictions are further eased. Pretty much everyone surveyed said they will continue to be online just as much after lockdown as they were during that period. While we’ve always thought the world was already in love with doing everything online, it seems it was just the tip of the iceberg. COVID-19 has made us even more fervent followers of doing things digitally - so where does this leave you and your online marketing?
While digital marketing has always been important in recent years, it is now even more relevant and vital. As the global population does even more active online, there are real opportunities for you to place your business at the centre of all that activity. If you’re not going to pay greater attention to your digital marketing now, when will you? A vastly increased global audience is the silver lining to the COVID-19 cloud; right now really is the best time to get in touch with a digital marketing agency and ask them to shine a brighter light on your online presence.
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