During an early 2023 survey among marketing leaders from for-profit companies in the United Kingdom, slightly more than ** percent of the respondents said their company used social media marketing for brand awareness and brand building. Acquiring new customers followed with ** percent.

On a foggy morning in early January 2025, a small fitness brand in Austin, Texas, posted a short behind-the-scenes clip on TikTok. Within 48 hours, that video had over 2.3 million views, tripled their followers, and caused their website to crash from unexpected traffic. It wasn’t a stroke of luck,...

Over the five years through 2025-26, industry revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 20.3% to reach £12.5 billion. Social media platforms are integral to people's lives, offering ways to communicate, create and view content and share information. According to Ofcom, approximately 89% of UK internet users in 2023 used social media apps or sites. Teenagers and young adults are the biggest users. Advertising is the primary revenue source for social media platforms, although subscription-based services are gaining momentum as platforms seek to diversify their incomes. TikTok is the success story of the past five years, becoming the most downloaded app between 2020 and 2022, according to Apptopia. The short-form video platform has over 30 million monthly users in the UK in 2025. After Musk's takeover, X, formerly known as Twitter, adjusted its content moderation and allowed previously banned accounts to return. As a result, over 600 advertisers pulled their ads from the site because of fears their brand may be associated with malcontent. In response to falling ad revenue, X has introduced a subscription-based service which enables users to verify themselves and boosts the number of people who view their tweets. Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have responded by introducing a similar service. In 2025, more social media platforms are using AI to boost user engagement. This improves click-through rates and drives higher advertising revenue. Industry revenue is expected to grow by 6.3% in 2025-26. Over the five years through 2030-31, social media platforms' revenue is projected to climb at an estimated 9.2% to reach £19.4 billion. Regulations relating to how data is collected, stored, and shared will force advertisers and platforms to rethink how they can target their desired demographics. The tightening of regulations will raise industry compliance costs, weighing on profit margin. Older age groups present a new revenue opportunity for social media platforms if they can bridge the gap between passive TV consumption and interactive digital engagement. Augmented Reality (AR) technology will move beyond filters to become standard for immersive product trials, interactive ads, and virtual meetups

As of early 2025, advertising on YouTube had the highest reach in the United Kingdom among the presented social media platforms, at ** percent. LinkedIn and Facebook followed, with about ** and ** percent, respectively. An ad medium attractive for marketers… The UK is the third-largest social media market worldwide, behind the United States and China. The market was worth *** billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and was expected to grow to **** billion by 2028. In the same period, social media usage is also forecast to increase. Its penetration rate is projected to deepen from an already high ** percent to **** percent of internet users. …but not so trusted by consumers Popular as it is, social media advertising was the second-least trusted medium among adults in the UK in 2023. Only influencer ads scored lower. This holds true across all age groups, underscoring the fact that even though social media is especially popular among younger internet users, they do not necessarily trust everything they see there. In the age group of 18 to 34, cinema is the most trusted ad medium; among older adults, TV reigns supreme.

Social media's influence in the United Kingdom continues to grow, with **** million active users as of February 2025, representing ** percent of the population. This penetration rate surpasses the global average of **** percent, positioning the UK as a leader in social media adoption. The country's high usage reflects a broader trend of increasing social media engagement worldwide, particularly in Northern and Western Europe. Global social media landscape The social media landscape is rapidly evolving, with China currently hosting over one billion users and India projected to become the largest social media audience by 2029. Notably, Nigeria is expected to see a staggering *** percent increase in its online networking audience between 2023 and 2029. In 2024, global social media users spent an average of *** minutes per day on social networks. Facebook is still the market leader Facebook is the most widely utilized social media platform globally, and India boasts *** million Facebook users, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. As of April 2024, it was found that men between the ages of ** and ** were the largest audience for Facebook, accounting for **** percent of global users. Furthermore, Facebooks second-largest audience base could be found with men aged 18 to 24 years.

Introduction In 2010, a small coffee shop in Portland decided to run its first Facebook ad. The owner spent just $20, targeting locals within a 5-mile radius. The result? A weekend rush that nearly tripled their regular traffic. Fast forward to 2025, and stories like this are no longer the...

During a 2019/2020 survey carried out among owners of small and medium-sized enterprises from the United Kingdom, ** percent of respondents stated they used social media to market their business and ** said they did not. In 2021, there were approximately ***** thousand SMEs in the UK.

It’s early morning, and a coffee shop owner in Austin, Texas, glances at her smartphone, reviewing campaign metrics from a social ad she posted the night before. By lunchtime, a lead has converted, and she’s sold out of the featured item. This is digital marketing in 2025, real-time, hyper-personalized, and...

During an early 2023 survey carried out among among people who run their own business or side hustle in the United Kingdom, **** percent stated they used TikTok as primary social media platforms used by small businesses for sales generation. Facebook ranked first, named by ** percent of respondents.

The United Kingdom digital marketing market was valued at USD 30.14 Billion in 2024. Growth in retail media networks, led by grocers like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, has opened lucrative new digital ad inventory, giving marketers unique first-party data access within contextually relevant shopper ecosystems. In turn, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.10% during the forecast period of 2025-2034 to reach a value of USD 86.35 Billion by 2034.

Growth in the market is fuelled by a hybrid shift in consumer behaviour and government-backed digital priorities. In 2024, the United Kingdom government allocated EUR 150 million via the Digital Entitlement to upskill small and mid-sized enterprises in digital capabilities, reflecting the nation’s push to make marketing technology a competitive edge. This policy directly nurtures the expansion of intelligent marketing platforms, predictive analytics tools, and personalised content strategies.

Furthermore, the emergence of location-based ad targeting combined with real-time intent analysis is attracting investment from logistics, education, and financial institutions, adding to the United Kingdom digital marketing market growth. Additionally, short videos have experienced rapid surge in demand and have become successful in engaging consumers and clients for promotional purposes with the rise of Instagram reels, TikTok and YouTube shorts. Moreover, interactive content like quizzes, polls, and AR experiences are becoming increasingly popular in the digital marketing landscape.

Notably, as per Ofcom's 2023 data, United Kingdom adults spend an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes daily online, with 79% of that time on mobile. These numbers have accelerated the demand for cross-platform marketing solutions. Moreover, the advertising expenditure in the United Kingdom recorded a massive hit of EUR 36.6 billion, demonstrating deep-rooted reliance across industries. Key players are increasingly adopting AI-led automation, precision targeting via geolocation APIs, and ethical data mining standards set by GDPR to gain traction in the market.

The number of Instagram users in the United Kingdom was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2028 by in total 2.1 million users (+7.02 percent). After the ninth consecutive increasing year, the Instagram user base is estimated to reach 32 million users and therefore a new peak in 2028. Notably, the number of Instagram users of was continuously increasing over the past years.User figures, shown here with regards to the platform instagram, have been estimated by taking into account company filings or press material, secondary research, app downloads and traffic data. They refer to the average monthly active users over the period and count multiple accounts by persons only once.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

Social media algorithms now shape the information we see. In 2025, over 5.4 billion people will engage with personalized feeds daily, each tailored by complex models that sort, amplify, or bury content based on real-time behavior. These algorithms affect everything from advertising campaigns to political messaging, and even how quickly...

During a survey held in early 2023, *** percent of responding marketing leaders from the United Kingdom (UK) stated that digital marketing contributed very highly to the performance of their companies in 2022. On the other hand, *** percent said that it did not contribute at all to their companies' performance.

Snapshot img

Social Media Management Software Market Size 2025-2029

The social media management software market size is forecast to increase by USD 54.98 billion, at a CAGR of 24.9% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing number of users on social media platforms. With billions of active social media users worldwide, businesses are recognizing the need for efficient and effective social media management solutions. A key trend in this market is the integration of advanced analytics capabilities into social media management software. This enables businesses to gain valuable insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and trends, informing data-driven marketing strategies. However, the high price point of application software poses a challenge for smaller businesses and startups, limiting their access to these tools.
To capitalize on market opportunities, companies must focus on offering competitive pricing and flexible pricing models. Additionally, continuous innovation in analytics capabilities and user-friendly interfaces will be essential to meet the evolving needs of businesses in the digital age.

What will be the Size of the Social Media Management Software Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
Request Free Sample

The social media management market continues to evolve, with dynamic trends shaping its landscape. Integration of social media APIs facilitates seamless data flow between platforms and other business systems. Social media crowdsourcing harnesses user-generated content for marketing initiatives, while gamification adds an engaging element to brand interactions. Social media optimization ensures content is tailored for each platform, enhancing reach and engagement. Auditing tools assess performance, identifying areas for improvement. Monitoring solutions track brand mentions and sentiment analysis provides valuable customer insights.

Social media strategy is crucial, balancing automation and human intervention for effective community management. Reporting and analytics offer ROI measurements, while advertising targets specific demographics. Contests and sweepstakes foster engagement, with compliance a key consideration. Partnerships and storytelling expand reach, aligning with emerging trends. Continuous innovation characterizes this market, as businesses adapt to evolving consumer behaviors and platform features.

How is this Social Media Management Software Industry segmented?

The social media management software industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD million' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

End-user

  Retail and consumer goods
  Healthcare and life sciences
  IT and telecom
  Government and public sector
  Others


Deployment

  Cloud-based
  On-premises


Sector

  Large enterprises
  Small and medium sized enterprises


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    France
    Germany
    Italy
    UK


  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan


  Rest of World (ROW)

By End-user Insights

The retail and consumer goods segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

Social media integration is a crucial aspect of modern business strategies, enabling seamless communication between various platforms and retail systems. Measuring social media performance through analytics and reporting tools is essential for understanding engagement levels, sentiment analysis, and reach. Social media management solutions facilitate scheduling, automation, and monitoring of multiple accounts, ensuring consistent brand messaging and community management. Social media platforms themselves offer various features for contests, giveaways, and sweepstakes to boost engagement and reach. Social media advertising provides targeted campaigns to reach specific audiences, while optimization and auditing tools help improve performance. Listening and responding to customer feedback through social media is vital for maintaining positive brand reputation and customer loyalty.

Social media marketing strategies focus on storytelling, partnerships, and trends to create immersive and harmonious brand experiences. Sentiment analysis and engagement metrics help brands understand their audience's preferences and tailor their messaging accordingly. Social media contests, gamification, and crowdsourcing foster a sense of community and encourage user-generated content. Social media optimization and compliance are essential for maintaining brand integrity and adhering to industry regulations. Social media trends continuously evolve, making it necessary for businesses to stay infor

In 2008, the average human attention span was 12 seconds. Fast forward to 2025, and many studies suggest it's now hovering around 8 seconds, shorter than that of a goldfish. It’s no coincidence that during this same period, social media platforms surged to dominate how we consume content. Whether you're...

This dataset contains statistics of how much people are prepared to trust people and various platforms around the internet - this includes how likely they are to believe reviews and influencers and whether they believe them to be genuine

Snapshot img

Social Media Listening Market Size 2025-2029

The social media listening market size is forecast to increase by USD 4.87 billion at a CAGR of 8.9% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is experiencing significant growth, driven primarily by the increasing usage of social media platforms worldwide. With over 4.3 billion users as of 2021, social media has become a powerful tool for businesses to engage with their customers and gain valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences. A key trend in this market is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies in social media listening solutions, enabling more accurate and efficient data analysis. However, this market is not without challenges. Data privacy and regulatory compliance are becoming increasingly important, with stricter regulations being implemented to protect user data.
Companies must ensure they have strong data security measures in place to comply with these regulations and maintain consumer trust. Additionally, the vast amount of data generated on social media requires sophisticated analytics tools to extract meaningful insights. As such, businesses seeking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the market must invest in advanced analytics solutions and prioritize data security and privacy. By doing so, they can effectively navigate the challenges and stay ahead of the competition.

What will be the Size of the Social Media Listening Market during the forecast period?

Request Free Sample

Social media listening has emerged as a crucial business tool, enabling organizations to gain valuable insights from the vast amount of data generated through social media activity. This data is analyzed using techniques such as topic modeling and sentiment scoring to understand consumer behavior, preferences, and trends. Social media geographics and demographics provide essential context, while social media reach and volume measure the scope and impact of conversations. Social media pulse and sentiment reflect the current sentiment and buzz surrounding specific topics, offering real-time insights into market dynamics and trends.
Social media listening software is a vital component of the global market for social media analytics. Social media influence is assessed through the size and engagement of an audience, providing valuable information for marketing and brand management strategies. The social media landscape and heatmap offer a comprehensive view of the social media ecosystem, helping businesses stay informed and adapt to evolving patterns.

How is this Social Media Listening Industry segmented?

The social media listening industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD million' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

  Software
  Services


End-user

  Retail and e-commerce
  IT and telecom
  BFSI
  Media and entertainment
  Others


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    France
    Germany
    UK


  Middle East and Africa



  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan
    South Korea


  South America

    Brazil


  Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The software segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. This segment encompasses platforms and tools that offer real-time, automated, and scalable capabilities to monitor and analyze social media conversations across various channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit. Real-time monitoring is a key feature of these solutions, empowering brands to identify mentions, trends, and sentiment as they emerge. By staying abreast of evolving topics, businesses can respond promptly to customer concerns, capitalize on viral events, and maintain a strong online presence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies are integral to social media listening software, enabling advanced topic identification, sentiment analysis, and trend recognition.

These technologies enable businesses to gain valuable customer insights, inform product development, and enhance customer experience. Social media listening platforms also offer data visualization and reporting features, allowing businesses to analyze and present their findings in a clear and actionable manner. Additionally, they provide social media dashboards, alerts, and governance tools to ensure compliance with social media policies and ethical standards. In summary, social media listening software plays a pivotal role in the global market for social media analytics, offering real-time insights and advanced capabilities to help businesses navigate the complex social media landscape and engage effectively with their audience.

Get a glance at the market report of share of v

Snapshot img

Social Networking Market Size 2025-2029

The social networking market size is forecast to increase by USD 312.3 billion, at a CAGR of 21.6% between 2024 and 2029.

Major Market Trends & Insights

North America dominated the market and accounted for a 41% growth during the forecast period.
By the Type - Advertising segment was valued at USD 80.70 billion in 2023
By the Distribution Channel - Google segment accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2023

Market Size & Forecast

Market Opportunities: USD 318.56 billion
Market Future Opportunities: USD 312.30 billion 
CAGR : 21.6%
North America: Largest market in 2023

Market Summary

The market continues to expand its reach and influence across various industries, with businesses recognizing its potential for customer engagement and brand awareness. According to recent studies, there are approximately 4.66 billion active social media users worldwide, representing a 13% increase from 2020. This growth is driven by the increased internet penetration and the popularity of social media platforms for personal and professional use. Social media advertisements have become a significant revenue source, with businesses investing heavily in targeted campaigns to reach their audiences.
However, privacy concerns remain a challenge, with users increasingly cautious about sharing personal information online. Despite this, the market's continuous evolution and the emergence of new trends, such as live streaming and virtual events, ensure its ongoing relevance and importance for businesses.

What will be the Size of the Social Networking Market during the forecast period?

Explore market size, adoption trends, and growth potential for social networking market Request Free Sample

The market exhibits consistent growth, with current usage accounting for approximately 3.6 billion users worldwide, representing a significant 4.5% increase year-over-year. Looking ahead, industry experts anticipate a continued expansion, with projections indicating a 5.2% annual growth rate. Notably, mobile devices account for over 90% of social media usage, underscoring the importance of optimizing platforms for this medium. Furthermore, businesses increasingly leverage social networking for marketing purposes, with advertising revenue reaching an estimated USD 84.3 billion in 2021. In comparison, the time spent on social media platforms per day has risen by 45 minutes since 2019, highlighting the growing influence of these channels on consumer behavior.
This trend is further accentuated by the integration of advanced features, such as live streaming, video content, and AI-driven recommendations, which enhance user engagement and monetization opportunities.

How is this Social Networking Industry segmented?

The social networking industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

  Advertising
  In-app purchase
  Paid apps


Distribution Channel

  Google
  Apple
  App Store Distribution


Service

  Communication
  Entertainment
  Socialization
  Marketing
  Customer service


Platform

  Website-based
  Mobile apps
  Hybrid platforms


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    France
    Germany
    Italy
    Spain
    UK


  Middle East and Africa

    UAE


  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan
    South Korea


  South America

    Brazil


  Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The advertising segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

In the dynamic and evolving landscape of digital communication, the market continues to expand, driven by innovative technologies and user engagement. According to recent data, social networking platforms accounted for approximately 30% of the total time spent online in 2021, reflecting a significant 15% increase from the previous year. Furthermore, industry experts anticipate that social media usage will continue to grow, with an estimated 25% of the global population expected to use social media by 2025. Content moderation systems play a crucial role in ensuring a safe and inclusive online environment. These systems employ advanced techniques, such as natural language processing, conversational AI, and machine learning models, to filter out inappropriate content and maintain platform governance.

User engagement metrics, including time spent on platforms, user-generated content, and social interaction dynamics, are closely monitored to optimize user experience and foster community building strategies. Platform scalability and network security protocols are essential for accommodating the increasing user base and data privacy regulations. Spam filtering techniques and link pred

During a 2019/2020 survey carried out among owners of small and medium-sized enterprises from the United Kingdom, ** percent of respondents stated social media helped raise brand awareness of their business. The same survey found that ** percent of UK SMEs used social media for marketing purposes.

Discover the booming UK marketing agencies market! This in-depth analysis reveals a £23.75 billion market projected to grow at a 4.82% CAGR until 2033. Learn about key drivers, restraints, segments, and top players. Get the data-driven insights you need to succeed. Recent developments include: April 2024: WPP and Google Cloud announced a pioneering collaboration to propel generative AI-driven marketing to new heights. This partnership is poised to redefine marketing's efficacy and impact by leveraging Google's prowess in data analytics, generative AI technology, and cybersecurity alongside WPP's comprehensive marketing solutions, vast creative reach, and deep brand insights.February 2024: IPG made waves by unveiling a strategic collaboration with Adobe. The partnership aims to revolutionize content creation and activation within IPG's global operations. IPG stands out as the inaugural corporation to seamlessly incorporate Adobe GenStudio, a cutting-edge tool leveraging generative AI. This integration empowers brands to accelerate their content ideation, creation, production, and activation.. Key drivers for this market are: Growing Digital Dominance, Changing Landscape of Marketing. Potential restraints include: Growing Digital Dominance, Changing Landscape of Marketing. Notable trends are: Growing Digital Dominance is Fuelling the Market.