With the rise of social media platforms, video content has become a crucial component of any successful marketing campaign. YouTube, in particular, has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to showcase their products or services, establish their brand identity, and connect with their target audience. Let’s get a little more familiar with YouTube. 

In this article, three digital marketing experts share the stats and best social media marketing practices that small businesses should know about the popular social media platform: YouTube. 

20 YouTube Statistics 

1. There are a lot of monthly active users on YouTube: over 2.5 billion to be exact. 

As of 2023, that’s about a quarter of the world’s population. A lot of these users are from India. 18.68% of YouTube users are from India. The United States makes up 9.25% of YouTube users. Even on a daily basis, there are over 122 million people that visit this site out of which the majority are kids.

2. Only 5% of the global internet population doesn’t watch YouTube. The other 95% do. 

There are 5.16 billion internet users, and almost all of them watch YouTube. Renee McBride, Net Pay Advance Digital Marketing Manager, shares, “it’s prudent for businesses to position themselves where their audience can be found. There is a massive audience on YouTube. Regardless of your target market or demographic, there’s a high likelihood your customers are on YouTube.”

3. Every day, YouTube Shorts are viewed over 30 billion times. 

YouTube’s answer to TikTok and short-form video content is quickly growing. YouTube is paying content creators $100 million for YouTube Shorts. 

4. Consumers are only gearing up: 51% of consumers plan to spend more time on YouTube in the next 12 months. 

Customers like that they can watch a deep dive on their favorite show, learn a new craft, or even enjoy their favorite video game in a new way. There’s no shortage of interesting content on YouTube. This video-sharing site is finding a way into our lives on a daily basis.

5. Every day, people across the world, combined, watch over 1 billion hours of content. 

There’s no need to worry about people running out of content any time soon. Over 500 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Your content doesn’t have to be complex. Larry Kim, founder and CEO of Customers, shares, “Wisely, YouTube advises ‘Don’t think Titanic. Don’t even think of ‘sales pitch.’ Think about quick how-tos or positive reviews from customers. Be personal.’ No one goes to YouTube looking to watch extended daytime infomercials.” The videos your company posts don’t have to be high-quality. They just need to be educational and entertaining.

6. More men watch YouTube than women. 

It’s a close call, but men make up 56% of viewers, and women make up 44%, According to Gerard DePaul, VP of the personal finance site Crixeo.

7. Gen Z and Millennials make up most of the viewers.

The biggest age range on YouTube is 15–35 years. Contrary to popular assumption, that encompasses part of Gen-Z and younger Millennials. From there, in order of popularity, YouTube reaches about 73% of 36-45-year-olds, 70% of 46-55-year-olds, and 67% of people 56 years or older. 

8. Most videos on YouTube are in English or Spanish. 

As the most spoken language in the world, there’s no surprise that the most used language on YouTube is also English. What may come as a shock though is that the next most popular language on YouTube is Spanish, even though it’s only the fourth most popular language in the world. This may be because YouTube is inaccessible from mainland China. 

9. The average person spends almost 20 minutes a day on YouTube.

To be exact, the average person spends about 19 min and 39 sec a day on YouTube. How does your watch time compare?  

10. Consumers like YouTube ads more than TV ads.  

In one survey, 59% of consumers found YouTube ads to be more relevant to their interests. TV ads are more generalized as they’re shown to a wide audience. With YouTube, it’s easier to hand-pick ads that users will find interesting and effectively promote your brand to an online audience. Facebook and YouTube marketing expert, Billy Gene Shaw, with Billy Gene Marketing, expands on this, “you can advertise to people based on the videos they watch… Say you have a cooking product or service, and you want to find people who are into barbecuing. YouTube’s videos with millions of views explain how to grill the perfect steak, how to heat up the perfect chicken, and so on. If the content creators allow advertising on their channels, your ad can show up right before those videos.” Marketers have a lot of control over their ad placement. 

11. 35% of the content on YouTube is TV related.

 

Gen Z viewers use YouTube to find content related to the shows and movies they watch. They may be looking for a deep dive or even behind-the-scenes content. If your product relates to TV, there’s space for it on YouTube. 

12. The most popular channel has well over 200 million YouTube subscribers. 

The most popular YouTube channel is T-Series with 240 million subscribers. Up next is Coco melon with 158 million subscribers. They’re closely followed by Sony Entertaining Television India at 155 million subscribers. 

13. The second most visited website in the world is YouTube.

 

Google, YouTube, and Facebook are the top three most popular websites in the world. It’s easy to see that Alphabet, Google, and YouTube’s parent company, is doing quite successfully online. Along with being the most visited website, it’s also the second-biggest search engine. If you want to be one of the top results on Google, you should be focused on being one of the top results on YouTube too.  

14. After Instagram, when it comes to influencer marketing, YouTube is the second most popular resource. 

On YouTube, influencers are able to not only show your product but talk about its benefits too. 

Curious about influencers and affiliate marketing? Check out our guide on affiliate marketing. 

15. There’s an opportunity: Only 22% of marketers use YouTube Shorts. 

There’s a competitive advantage to getting your brand on YouTube Shorts, and it may be easier than you think. Kim explains, “Creating YouTube video ads is easy and completely free – you can shoot it yourself for a home-brewed feel, or hire some help for a crisp, professional look.”

16. 80% of shoppers that watched a video related to their purchase said it was one of the first things they did in their shopping process.

 

Consider uploading a video on how to use your product or service. Current customers will appreciate the free video tutorial. Potential customers will trust the product demonstration they’re able to see with their own eyes. 

17. In 2020 Apple Inc was YouTube’s biggest advertiser. 

Besides funny animal videos, “video game walkthroughs” is the second fastest-growing type of content on YouTube. It’s no surprise that tech giant, Apple, noticed that their technology-savvy customers were online on YouTube too. 

18. 22% of YouTube watchers watch from a mobile device. 

McBride explains, “When it comes to making video content, ensure that any imagery or text you provide could easily fit on a phone screen.”

19. 72% of people used YouTube to watch fitness content. 

If your product relates to health, exercise, fitness, nutrition, or losing weight, YouTube is the place to be. 

20. 50.9% of B2B decision-makers agree that YouTube is used mostly for research purposes. 

If you provide a product or service for other businesses, they’re actively looking for product demonstrations. Show them what your product or service can do.

Check out our Ultimate Guide to B2B Video Marketing. 

Benefits of including YouTube in your marketing 

In today’s digital age, it’s essential for businesses of all sizes to stay ahead of their competition. Video platforms like YouTube are popular. YouTube still appears more trustworthy over newer social media platforms like Lemon8 and Mastodon. 

Small businesses, in particular, stand to gain a lot from using YouTube as a marketing tool. There are many benefits to creating video content and uploading it to YouTube. Take a look at YouTube benefits:  

• Cost-effective marketing 
• Increased brand exposure and improved SEO
• Better engagement than text or static images
• Measurable results
• Increase click-through rates with branded links

In one interview, Gene mentions that he believes YouTube is the most profitable, easiest, fastest, and most affordable way to get customers.  

Conclusion 

YouTube has become a critical marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses. By creating high-quality, informative videos, businesses can increase their brand exposure, connect with their audience, and drive more traffic to their website. Moreover, YouTube provides a cost-effective way to reach a wider audience and measure the impact of marketing efforts. Therefore, businesses should consider investing in video content and uploading it to YouTube as part of their overall marketing strategy.