Is it Instagram-worthy? Whether it’s lunch, the gym, or the beach, that’s the question everyone is asking these days. Some even go as far as to buy automatic Instagram likes.

Despite getting a later start in the social media game than Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, Instagram has made one heck of a splash in the industry. Today, Instagram is one of the most popular and widely used social media platforms, taking the photo sharing app from 0-60 in Ferrari-like fashion.

With 500+ million active users accessing the app daily, the opportunities are endless for businesses, influencers, and well, just about anyone. However, to stay on your game and a step ahead, you need to understand some important Instagram stats.

Knowing who’s on Instagram and how they use the platform can help you craft an effective Instagram marketing strategy. Check out the 13 eye-opening stats below to set yourself up for Instagram success in 2020 and beyond.

1. Instagram has over a billion active users.

With this figure firmly in hand, Instagram ranks third in popularity amongst social media networks. It trails only Facebook with its two billion monthly active users and YouTube with 1.9 billion.

With one billion active users, this means there’s at least 500 million people scrolling through their IG feeds each and every day. That’s a huge audience to get in front of.

2. Instagram is used by 64 percent of people under 30.

Understanding Instagram’s demographics can help you craft a more effective social media strategy. Instagram’s userbase is growing, but it’s unquestionably most popular with younger demographics. If your brand is targeting Millennials and Gen Zers, much of your marketing efforts should be focused on Instagram.

3. Instagram accounts for 1/4 of Facebook’s ad revenue.

Owned by Facebook, Instagram’s advertising is entirely run through Facebook’s Ads Manager. This means, all revenue generated by Instagram stays under the umbrella of its parent company, Facebook.

Needless to say, Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram back in 2012 definitely seems to be paying off. With approximately $10 billion generated in 2019 alone, Instagram’s ad revenue is quickly approaching Facebook-like figures.

4. 80 percent of Instagram users follow a business.

Still on the fence about whether or not social media marketing actually works? If so, this stat will make you jump right off. It’s clear, Instagram users are following businesses, so if you develop a presence on the platform, your audience will follow you.

On top of this stat, Instagram business profiles are visited over 200 million times each day. Still on the fence? Didn’t think so.

5. Over two million businesses and influencers advertise on Instagram each month.

When you scroll through your Instagram feed, you’ll notice that every third or fourth photo is “Sponsored.” You’ll also notice Stories ads displayed when watching the Stories of the IG users you follow.

What does this mean? Instagram is a great place to reach your audience through both paid and organic means.

6. The best times to post on Instagram are 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

While the best time for a brand to publish social media posts largely depends on their own unique audience and their engagement with them, the data with Instagram is pretty compelling.

According to several studies, the best time to post on Instagram is 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, with the peak times being Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m. Knowing these times can help you make timely posts to generate more likes and a higher level of engagement.

7. Image posts receive 38 percent less engagement than video posts.

Not sure whether to posts an image or a video? This stat can help. If you want to boost your Instagram engagement, you need to think outside the box and post something other than a photo or carousel.

Despite still being rather rare compared to image posts, video posts also receive over twice the number of comments. Since engagement is the single most important social media metric, using video in your IG feed is definitely worth giving a try.

8. Instagram users upload over 100 million images every day.

Yes, you read that right. Instagram users upload over 100 million images each and every day. People are using Instagram to tell their life story, and brands are using it to tell the story of their brands. You need to share your story or the story of your brand too.

9. 1/3 of the most viewed Instagram Stories come from businesses.

Instagram Stories was launched in 2016, and since then, it now has half a billion daily active users. Stories can be used a number of ways to increase your brand’s engagement and connection with your audience.

Since 1/3 of the most popular Stories come from businesses, it’s clear audiences are engaging with brands via their Story content.

10. 50 percent of businesses on Instagram post at least one Story each month.

Half of businesses on Instagram create Story content every month, proving Stories are for much more than users sharing their daily lives with friends. Need inspiration? There are tons of Story ideas out there to help inspire you to create engaging Instagram Stories for your brand.

11. More Millennials consume Stories on Instagram than they do on Facebook and Snaphat.

Although Snapchat created the idea for Stories years before Instagram, it has already passed Snapchat in usership. In fact, 68 percent of Millennials consume Instagram Stories, while only 48 and 44 percent consume Stories on Snapchat and Facebook respectively.

Since these Millennials likely follow and interact with brands on Instagram, they’re likely engaging with these brands’ Stories as well. Utilizing Stories and all of the platform’s other features will only result in positive traction for your brand.

12. Instagram users spend nearly an hour a day on the platform.

Well, the average user spends 53 minutes a day on the platform to be exact. This is a huge deal. That’s nearly an hour a day spent scrolling through feeds and photos, watching Stories, and interacting with other accounts.

Utilizing this popular platform for your brand will allow you to be seen by more people, attract more customers, create a loyal following, and ultimately, grow your business.

13. Instagram Live is used by over 100 million Instagrammers each day.

Instagram Stories videos are restricted to 15 seconds in length, which isn’t much time to dive deep into topics. Instagram Live, however, lets users livestream content, and audiences are gobbling it up.

In fact, over 100 million Instagrammers watch or record live video on the platform every day, making Instagram Live a great tool to directly connect and interact with your audience.

Using Instagram Stats to Your Advantage

Ready to turn these stats into a rock-solid Instagram marketing strategy? Instagram has become one incredibly powerful marketing tool for brands looking to boost their visibility, engagement, and reach.

We hope these 13 eye-opening stats for 2020 have shed some insight on the importance of investing in Instagram and provided you with plenty of ideas on how to exploit the platform for all it’s worth.