eMarketer recently reported that time spent on social media – and by extension time spent engaging with social media marketing – by US adults decreased by one minute from 2017 to 2018. The decline was largely driven by Facebook, where users spent three minutes less year-over-year. eMarketer expects usage to remain flat in coming years.

The report comes as no surprise to Facebook, as eMarketer reports:

“The company continues to encourage its users to engage with more “meaningful” content, which de-emphasizes posts from brands, businesses and media, and instead allows users to see more posts from friends, family and groups. The company said that this move would negatively impact time spent on the platform, and it did.”

So, what does that mean for advertisers that invest in social media marketing? Is it time to shift budget away from social platforms, and Facebook in particular?

We don’t think so. Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform in North America by a considerable margin. A whopping 74 per cent of US adults continue to use Facebook, with more than half logging on daily.

“That frequency of usage continues to make Facebook an attractive place for marketers,” eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson said in the article. “This year, US marketers will invest $28.52 billion on the platform.”

It’s our job as marketers to analyze social media spending and optimize it for maximum return. Facebook will continue to be the best advertising medium for some demographics, but for others it may make sense to shift budget to Instagram and Snapchat, for example.

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing and social media marketing agency with valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media has experience managing every variety of digital marketing campaign, from pay-per-click search engine advertising to social media management. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

Image credit: Thought Catalog