Looking for a direct communication channel to potential and current customers? Check! A marketing solution that drives community and commerce? Check! A messaging platform owned by one of the world’s biggest tech companies with unfathomable reach? Check!
There’s a lot to be said about Facebook Messenger. If we’re being honest, we think it’s one of the most under-tapped resources available to a business, especially given the rise of social commerce and audiences placing a higher value on authentic communication and customer service.
If you’re not using instant messaging in your business, perhaps these Facebook Messenger stats will propel you into onboarding the platform to drive clicks, commerce, and happy customers.
Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.
General Facebook Messenger stats
Facebook Messenger was launched in August 2011
Messenger was grown out of the original Facebook Chat functionality and spun off into its own product in 2011, making the instant messaging platform 11 years old in 2022.
Over 3 billion people are predicted to use messaging apps in 2022
Whether they’re DM’ing their favorite brand on Messenger or chatting with their latest crush via WhatsApp, the proof is in the pudding that messaging apps are commonplace amongst mobile phone users (and around a third of the world’s population!)
Messenger is the second most popular iOS app of all time
Facebook Messenger is kinda a big deal. The app allows users to send and receives messages (obviously!) with people they’re connected to through Facebook or Instagram, share gifs, memes, and photos, make and receive video calls, regular calls, and voice notes, and provides brands with a cross-platform line of communication with customers.
Messenger has been downloaded 5.4 billion times since 2014
Meta, the parent company of Messenger, dominates the top downloaded apps from 2014-2021, with Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger downloaded a staggering total of 20.1 billion times.
Source: eMarketer
So, what does Meta’s domination mean for social media marketing?
Our take is that it’s important to remember that each platform under the Meta umbrella is its own beast. For example, the audience who hangs out on Instagram is likely entirely different than an audience who spends more of their time engaging with Facebook or Messenger, and campaigns need to be tailored toward specific channels and audiences to achieve successful results.
Facebook Messenger user stats
Messenger has almost 1 billion monthly active users (MAUs)
Woah, 988 million people log into the app on a monthly basis to interact with friends and family, communicate with their favorite brands, and make and receive calls.
Messenger is where almost one-eighth of the world’s population hangs out, and for marketers, this is a significant volume of people who can be actively engaged with and targeted with ad campaigns.
In the US, Facebook Messenger is most popular with women
Women make up 55.7% of Messenger’s userbase in the US, with men making up the remaining 44.3%. Something to think about when you’re using Messenger to engage with customers.
Forget about marketing to 13-17-year-olds on Messenger
In the US, Facebook Messenger is least popular with people aged 13-17, meaning that younger demographics are shunning the platform, which is something to keep in mind as you craft campaigns.
Facebook Messenger is the 7th most popular social media network
With just shy of a billion users, Messenger sits behind TikTok, WeChat, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook in terms of active users.
2.6% of Internet users say that Messenger is their favorite platform
Given that the Internet is used by over 4.6 billion people, that 2.6% figure roughly translates to 119 million people who rate Messenger above Pinterest, Snapchat, and Discord.
Source: Hootsuite Digital Trends Report
82% of US adults say that Messenger is their most regularly used messaging app
Does this wildly high percentage mean that Messenger is more popular than WhatsApp in the US? And do marketers need to pay attention to Americans using Messenger for communication purposes and meet audiences where they’re at?
Facebook Messenger is the third-ranked app in terms of monthly active users
If you’re running campaigns on apps with a low volume of active users, you’ll struggle to see decent returns. Luckily, Messenger has the third-highest volume of people who log into the platform monthly and completes the top four alongside other Meta properties, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Source: Hootsuite Digital Trends Report
Messenger was the 7th most downloaded app of 2021
TikTok (unsurprisingly!) took the number one spot, closely followed by Instagram and Facebook to round off the top three.
We’re feeling pretty chill about the Facebook Messenger app not being too high on the list because data shows that downloads have trended downwards since 2015, signaling that people have already downloaded the app on their device, rather than Facebook Messenger falling out of favor.
Facebook Messenger usage stats
The average time spent using Messenger is 3 hours per month
To put that usage into a broader context, users spend the same amount of time scrolling Telegram and Snapchat. YouTube is the app that users spend the most time on per month, with the average time spent per month standing at a huge 23.7 hours.
People send 21 billion photos via Messenger every month
Photo sharing is just one of the many features of this powerful app as people and businesses across the world connect with each other to share content.
US adults will spend 24 minutes per day on mobile messaging apps in 2022
The number of minutes US adults spend on messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp has increased from 18 minutes in 2018 to 24 minutes in 2022. The reason for an increase of 33% is largely due to the COVID-19 global pandemic which saw humans turning to other forms of communication to engage with business, brands, and connections.
Additionally, this increase shows that people are moving away from more traditional methods of digital communication, for example, text messages and email, to communicate.
Source: eMarketer
Facebook Messenger stats for business
40 million businesses use Facebook Messenger
Combined with Messenger ads, this makes the platform one of the fastest-growing channels to reach and engage with consumers.
1 billion messages are sent between people and businesses on Messenger every month
The high volume of messengers shows that businesses use Facebook Messenger to interact with customers, provide next-level service, and generate community and engagement with Messenger.
There are 33,000 active bots on Facebook Messenger
Bots fall into one of two distinct categories: chatbots which help you streamline your business’s communication strategy, and bots which are just plain annoying and do things like spam people.
We’re big fans of chatbots and not so much the other type of bots.
Chatbots are a fantastic strategy that marketers should use to help provide an engagement channel for customers and save time and resources answering commonly asked consumer questions.
In addition, Facebook Messenger chatbots help automate sales. With 83% of consumers saying they would shop for or buy products in messaging conversations, now is the time to increase the usage of chatbots in your business to drive more growth.
Want to know more about how chatbots (the good kinda bot!) can help you increase your response times, drive more sales, and take your customer service to the next level? Check out The Complete Guide to Using Facebook Chatbots for Business.
Facebook Messenger ads stats
The potential ad reach for Messenger is almost 1 billion people
Okay, it’s 987.7 million, to be precise, but who’s counting? Running ads on Messenger can lead to an above-average conversion rate as personalization and direct-response marketing becomes more popular.
Ads on Messenger will mostly reach men aged 25-34
Almost 20% of Facebook Messenger’s audience are prime to receive Messenger ads. But, ladies, don’t panic! The 24-34 women’s cohort is the second most reached group of people, with 13.3% of women reachable by ads.
If you’re in the 65+ range, only 1.9% of women and 1.7% of men will be served ads from Messenger.
Source: Hootsuite Digital Trends Report
The countries with the highest eligibility reach rate are located outside of NA and EMEA
Vietnam (68.6%), New Zealand (66.2%), and the Philippines (66%) come through! These are the top 3 countries with the highest potential ad reach compared to their total population aged 13+.
Canada and the US are one of the lowest-rated counties, with only 2.0% and 2.4% of the population potentially reachable with Messenger ads.
So if you’re crafting campaigns to drive clicks and commerce using Facebook Messenger, consider advertising outside of North America, to begin with.
India is the country with the highest Messenger advertising audience
Messenger ads have the potential to reach 11.2% of the population, closely followed by Brazil and Mexico.
Whether you’re an established brand or simply getting started with social, don’t ignore the power of Facebook Messenger as part of a holistic social media marketing strategy. With the rise of chatbots and social commerce predicted to be a significant trend in 2022, there’s no better time to weave Messenger into your campaigns.
Grow your online and in-store sales with a Facebook Messenger chatbot by Heyday by Hootsuite. A chatbot can improve your customer’s shopping experience, while allowing your service team to focus on higher-value interactions.
Turn customer service conversations into sales with Heyday. Improve response times and sell more products. See it in action.
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