What are the current social media stats in New Zealand for 2019?

Social media stats in New Zealand for 2019 by Cathy Mellett

Director of a New Zealand Digital Marketing Agency and Founder of the I’m Enough Digital focused charity for our Youth.

Social media stats in New Zealand for 2019.  As a digital marketing and social media company that is proud of its extended history in the world of digital, we know that social media and online marketing is a critical element of marketing arsenal for any New Zealand company.

Social media stats in New Zealand for 2019 – Where is your audience spending their time?

Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin are the historied social media profiles. From its noticeable arrival in 2006, Twitter has not gained the same traction that tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook have had within the New Zealand market. The graph at the end of this article shows its market penetration as neglible.

Many of my online videos, dating back to 2012, comment on my predictions around the uptake of Twitter.  Futher more, the 2018 Alexa site rankings supports my comments.  I, however, predicted that Instagram would surpass Twitter in the coming months.  This would see it move up the rankings in 2019 with Twitter use falling even further.  Today (13/9/2019) I have pulled the current website user stats and can confirm that my prediction in 2018 was correct.

As at August 2019, and based on user / website user time on New Zealand  sites, this is the current ranking of websites in New Zealand.  As per my prediction, Twitter continues to remain elusive with Youtube and Facebook remaining constant entries.  Instagram has surpassed Twitter in terms of its online use and time spent by a Kiwi audience. . Source – Alex Stats for website rankings in NZ

As we look at the previous year (Social media stats in New Zealand for 2019 / 2018), the graph below again shows the current stats and is a depiction of the current social media sites ranking from August 2018 through to August 2019.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Social Media Market Share

But what about our social media stats and usage trends for 2020?

2020 is looming and the big question we are all asking is what will it hold?  In my opinion, Instagram will continue increase in use, Snapchat will remain important for our younger audience and sites such as TikTok will reach higher levels with our younger users.  However, as a founder of a digital focused charity, I feel it is imperative to consider the guidance these environments also require from parents and caregivers as to how these digital or social media environments are being used amongst our youth when it comes to online kindness, compassion and thought around what is being publicised, as well as our youth’s response to their content.

In my opinion, here are my predictions when it comes to the future of social media and digital trends going into next year.

Cathy Mellett’s Thoughts on Social Media Trends and Digital Unfolding Into 2020

1. Social Media use will continue to grow.
2. There will be more focus on data privacy and security.
3. The video focus will become continue to be important and continue to keep audiences engaged as the primary type of content.  Youtube would continue to remain important.  With Vine and Musical.ly shutting down, TikTok is the current go to place for our young people.
4. AR technology will become a hotspot of interest.
5. Audience engagement will become more important, but is a time intensive and therefore costly exercise.  Social Media communities and Groups within Facebook is certainly one place where this can be achieved with high levels of success.
6. Whilst not a social media trend, I feel that we will see an increase in the cost of having a brand seen online. This includes increases in costs around the use of Google Ads, increase in elements in charging to have our brands seen in social envirnments, and of course the costs associated with targeted and constant engagement in online forums. In short, we are going to continue to have to pay more and more in the hopes of reaching people through one of the most influential and frequently used advertising platform around the globe.
7. It is my firm opinion that all marketing elements should live cohesively. Even if your brand focuses on radio and television advertisement, there is a bounty of opportunity in bouncing social media and digital marketing off your existing advertising campaigns.
8. The foundation of community relies on the ability to interact on a personal level with those around you. Interpersonal connections should never be forgotten or discounted. This element of face to face communication is something that I fear is being lost amongst our youth, whose focus of engagement is more in the online world than the physical world around them. It seems to be almost replaced by the volume of relatable video content, such as vlogs and other videos that simulate one on one interaction with the viewer.

I would be interested in your feedback. What do you believe is a future trend? To discuss this or discover what your company could be doing when it comes to your online presence, I invite you to connect with me.

Cathy Mellett