If you're not already posting videos on YouTube or aren't doing some kind of video marketing, why not?
If you're somewhat of an introvert like me, I know it's tough making video. But nowadays it's critical to add video to your online marketing mix.
So this post is a bit of a kick in the pants (for me) to up the output...
That said, I've gathered some pretty revealing stats about YouTube and viewer habits that should have you grabbing your smartphone and hitting "record" before the end of this article....
You can download the entire infographic with links to sources by clicking the image above.
One Billion with a "B"
That's the number of hours of video watched every single day on YouTube. And that's not just the same crowd binge-watching...
So where are these people coming from and why should you care?
Stick with me here and read all the way through, we'll come to some pretty amazing conclusions about growing your business by going through these stats.
Internet Users In The U.S. (in millions)
The numbers reported include adults and children. Of course numbers from 2019 to 2021 are predictions based on historical trends.
Internet use is growing at around 3 percent per year.
You can see a decline, and that only makes sense since, according to The Brookings Institution, overall population growth is in even steeper decline.
However, this growth represents many millions of new people coming online every year.
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Users in millions | 264.6 | 274.9 | 284.7 | 293.9 | 302.4 |
| Growth year over year - M | 10.3 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 | |
| Growth year over year - % | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
Over 8 in 10 U.S. adults on Social Media
86% of the adult population (18+) is on social media.
And guess what two social networks are most popular...
The Top 3 Social Networks by Age Group In The U.S.
These figures don't lie... There's no getting around it, video has become the primary medium in marketing today.
For the younger group aged 18 to 34, YouTube is their first go-to platform, then Facebook.
The situation flips for the 35 to 64 year-olds who favour Facebook first and YouTube second.
Even though people don't go to Facebook necessarily looking for video, videos inherently have more clout than images or text when they come across them.
Percentage of Men & Women Online On YouTube by Age & Gender
The percentage of men & women on YouTube is the same at 83%.
No surprise that the largest groups watching videos on YouTube are the 18-24 & 25-34.
However, the older groups of working age (read - those likely to have more disposable income) are also there in large proportion.
Percentage of Men & Women Online On YouTube by Geography & Household Income
It doesn't much matter whether rural or urban, the numbers are pretty close at 79% & 84%. Urban centres probably have better Internet service and that's where the small discrepancy lies.
As for household income, the $100K+ gang is top of the heap in YouTube consumption. However, close behind and all clustered in the 80%+ range are all the other income groups.
Frequency of YouTube Use Q3 2019
OK, so let's crunch some numbers:
- 223.8 million U.S. adults are online.
- 83% of them are on YouTube, that's 185.75 million people.
- 38% of them access YouTube several times per day, that's 70.59 million people. And not all of them are watching cat videos while eating Cheetos. See below...
51% Visit YouTube To Learn How To Do Things
More than half of people watching videos on YouTube go there because they have a specific purpose. They want to learn how to do something they haven't done before.
This is a HUGE opportunity for any business in just about any niche you can think of.
If you teach "how-to" fill-in-the-blank - be it presentation skills, gardening, marketing, proposal writing, car restoration, painting, alligator rasslin', etc. you already have an audience on YouTube.
32% Of All Videos On YouTube Are "People & Blogs"
People & Blogs is the largest category on YouTube. I think that part of that is because the category is somewhat of a "grab bag".
But that's the category that has the most number of instruction based channels and videos.
So I surmise that this stat combined with the one above confirm the need, viability and "monetizability" of instructional videos from online businesses.
55% Of People Searching For A Product Use YouTube To Make Buying Decisions
So this stat tells me that people are going to YouTube with buying intent.
At this stage they're invested in the process.
They want information on how to use the product, product reviews, product demonstrations, etc. before they pull out their wallet.
Summing Up: What This Means For You!
⇒ More people are watching more video every day
⇒ More than half of those people are on YouTube searching for "how-to" help
⇒ YouTube is top-of-mind when looking for that help
⇒ Those people have a problem they want to solve quickly
⇒ People on YouTube have money and are willing to spend it on a product they deem useful from watching a video on it
⇒ If you have a business your audience is already on YouTube looking for solutions you provide!
That said, this means that when you set up your YouTube channel with useful, helpful videos on a regular basis you're:
- Demonstrating your skills to your potential customers
- Providing proof on your products & services
- Building a following and growing your brand
- Giving them all the reasons why they need to do business with you!
What To Do Next If You...
Marie Watkins is the creator & author of FreedomLab, a resource site where we do the research for you and find the best tools and methods for you to grow your online business.
This is where you’ll find advice on the following:
- Solopreneur Home Business
- Online Marketing tools & strategies
- Software to automate processes & streamline your work to free up your time
- Courses to guide you in applying the above so you can increase your customer base.