The social media landscape has changed drastically in the last few years. India had just over 630 million internet users in 2019, which grew to over 690 million in 2020. 2021 comes with more significant promises of the number hitting 760 million. While the pandemic has been a big reason, internet usage in India has been steadily rising since 2016 when cellphone network providers competitively priced internet packs with high speed. In fact, over the last five years, the number of internet users has almost doubled.
Social media has significantly benefited from this growth in internet usage in India. According to a report by Dentsu, one of the top social media marketing companies in India, it is the most significant contributor of digital ad spends at 29% in 2020 and is expected to continue growing by 20% over 2021.
But how did social media get here?
Internet infrastructure
As mentioned above, with network providers providing competitively priced data packs and internet speed, there has been significant growth in internet infrastructure, which has further fuelled the boom in social media.
For all ages
Although social media has been used predominantly by a younger age group, older age groups also have social media presence to reconnect with those they couldn’t meet before.
Free usage
Perhaps one of the most important reasons for the growth of social media is that it’s free to create an account on any social media site, opening up access to many people.
Part of a Community
Anyone who’s on social media feels like a part of a community. Whether it’s networking with like-minded professionals, searching for jobs, or just being there for each other during a global crisis.
Virtual connection & information
In the last year, several people have learned new skills through YouTube and Facebook videos. And at a time when timely communication was key amidst the pandemic, social media helped pass on information quickly. Social media also helped people virtually connect when they couldn’t meet anyone physically during the lockdown.
Provides relief and entertainment
Memes and viral videos provide relief and entertainment, especially amidst trying times. Friends and families share these videos as a way of staying in touch and sharing happiness.
Brands spread smiles
The truth is people love popular brands. If your brand produces intelligent, funny, but relatable content, chances are your engagement will increase over time. Through social media, brands stay connected to their audience in different and more accessible ways.
When the audience is actively engaging online, brands need to consider setting themselves up to take on social media marketing. If you feel intimidated to do this alone, you can hire a digital marketing agency to guide you. Reputed agencies, such as RepIndia, have customized social media marketing packages depending on your brand’s needs.
