The simplicity of YouTube is one of the many reasons it has exploded in popularity over the years. YouTube makes it so easy for creators to share their content with a large audience. And as a result, there is a wide range of content to choose from. So whether it is endless beauty tutorials, product reviews, gaming channels, or hours of unboxing videos — YouTube has it all. In the millions of YouTube channels out there, you’re guaranteed to find at least a few that strike you as interesting. Let’s say on YouTube, there’s something for everyone.
The first-ever video uploaded to YouTube was on April 23rd, 2005, showing one of the founders at the zoo, unambiguously titled “me at the zoo.” Since then, YouTube has come a long, long way. It went from 0 to 1 billion viewers in a decade…that’s quite a journey. But it isn’t just fun and games. There’s more to YouTube. This fantastic platform can help you grow your ecommerce business in 2022.
Monthly Active YouTube UsersAccording to the latest YouTube statistics, the video-sharing platform has 2.6 billion users worldwide as of 2022 (Statista, 2022). It’s ranked as the second-most popular social network, and the only platform that has more active users than YouTube is Facebook.
These 2.6 billion users are defined as viewers who log into the site at least once per month. Considering YouTube videos can also be viewed without using Google accounts, such as via the autoplay feature in WhatsApp, YouTube’s reach is higher.
This YouTube user statistic can be of enormous value to marketers in 2022. When more than two billion users log in every month to watch videos on YouTube, there’s a massive and active market that marketers have the potential to tap into. And with an even wider reach, YouTube will undoubtedly be an excellent platform for your digital marketing efforts.
YouTube – The Social Media Platform With the Highest Penetration
If the first YouTube statistic we shared didn’t get your attention, this one surely will. Sixty-two percent of global consumers use YouTube (Statista, 2021).
Created in 2005 by three former Paypal employees, YouTube has grown exponentially. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for US$1.65 billion, and now YouTube operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries.
Since the creation of YouTube, its mission has been to provide fast and easy video access to users and the ability to share videos frequently. Furthermore, since then, it has grown beyond expectations.
It is no secret that YouTube is a continuously growing social media platform, but many reasons have contributed to its success today. One of the main reasons YouTube manages to hold its dominant place in the industry is because of how accessible it is. YouTube makes it easy to get started and share your content with a large audience. The simplicity with which people can get started on YouTube has contributed immensely to attracting millions of content creators worldwide.
YouTube Is the Second-Most Popular Search Engine After Google
YouTube is the second-most popular search engine, right after Google. It receives more monthly searches than Microsoft Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Ask.com.
As mentioned earlier, more than two billion of its users–equivalent to nearly one-third of all internet users–log in each month. But that’s not all. YouTube viewers watch over one billion hours of videos on its platform daily and are responsible for generating billions and billions of views (YouTube, 2021).
The platform’s popularity grants it a broad audience reach, especially on mobile devices. The company says it comes with more US mobile consumers than any other television network.
The mobile-friendliness of the YouTube app is one of its most appealing factors and certainly something to take advantage of when advertising on YouTube.
YouTube Statistics: Localization
How is YouTube so popular, and how can it generate billions of views daily?
To understand that, we need to look deeper at its numbers. YouTube is available and localized (YouTube, 2021) in over 100 countries. This means that the platform adapts to the different languages of its different markets.
This makes it inviting and attractive for its users, which increases engagement and usage. Plus, it can be accessed in 80 different languages. This ranges from the world’s most spoken English, Spanish, and Mandarin to more obscure ones like Azerbaijani, Khmer, and Laotian.
The majority of videos published on YouTube are not even in English. According to a survey, two-thirds (67 percent) of the videos posted by popular YouTube channels are in other languages. Of the rest, just 28 percent are in English, while the remaining five percent are in English and other languages.
The same survey also found that even though there were significantly fewer videos in English, English-language videos tend to receive around four times more views than videos in other languages.
People Enjoy Watching Videos on YouTube every day
People watch one billion hours of YouTube videos daily, generating billions of views (YouTube, 2019). Let us do the math. If every single person on earth watched a video, that is around 8.4 minutes per day per person. That is a mind-blowing number that adds to the video’s credibility as a content source for people. Another interesting fact is that searches related to the term “how to” are growing 70 percent year over year, according to searchengineland.com. This means that users rely on video content when they search for ways to learn something.
Marketers should be leveraging the power of video and catering their content according to the growing preference for video content. There are endless ways that you can start creating video content on YouTube. You could create a YouTube channel to share updates with your audience, interact with them, and solve their queries or concerns. Or you have an online store and would like to share videos of your products on YouTube with your audience. You can even add a link to your YouTube profile on your ecommerce store, so your audience knows they can find you there. And when it comes to posting videos on YouTube daily, it doesn’t hurt to know the best time to post on YouTube, so you can ensure that your audience is active and more likely to view your content.
