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Social Media: TikTok is more engaging than YouTube, Meta is the most expensive

Three things we can count in the billions: Jeff Bezos’ dollars, the number of trees planted since 2020… and the number of social media users.

According to the Digital 2023: Global Overview Report, Facebook and YouTube are the most used social media platforms in the world, with 2.95B and 2.5B users respectively.

However…

TikTok might as well be flypaper

The report says TikTok beats both when it comes to time spent on the platform. Users average 23.5 hours a month swiping TikTok content.

YouTube is a close second with 23.1 hours. Facebook comes in third at 19.7 hours.

Surprisingly, Instagram is fifth with 12 hours per month, while Twitter is seventh with a modest 5.5 hours.

And social media just keeps growing

The number of social media users grew to 4.76B in January 2023 compared to 2.7B five years ago. And users are staying on social media longer: two and a half hours per day on average!

But eyeballs are pricey

Matt Navarra Tweeted a breakdown of the average cost per mille (CPM) of the most popular platforms in the final quarter of last year:

  • Meta: $13.35.
  • TikTok: $7.43.
  • Snap: $7.23.
  • YouTube: $6.45.
  • Amazon: $1.58.
  • Google Search: $1.25 (cost-per-click).

Why we care

It’s always helpful to have a sense of where users are most engaged, and what to budget if you want to meet them there.

Facebook has the most users, but it’s also the most expensive. Meanwhile, TikTok is a worthy competitor, with high engagement and lower pricing.

So is Amazon. It reported 19% ad revenue growth and also looks like a good option.

Just details to keep in mind as you adjust your social media strategy.