When it comes to social media we often sit in a bubble in the United States. This is where the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were created, and this is supposedly where all the action is.

However when we actually look at the raw numbers, these platforms are just as popular (if not more so) in other countries, which creates a number of exciting opportunities depending on your perspective. Whether you’re an activist, politician, marketer for a global brand or somebody just looking to connect with different cultures – social media is the perfect medium to do so.

Instagram for example now has a user base of over 500 million people. 300 million of these are active on the app every single day. In total more than 40 billion posts have been made, with an average of 95 million every day. These daily photos and videos generate a staggering 4.2 billion likes!

But don’t be fooled into thinking all of this activity is driven by selfie takers from the US. Yes they represent 19.22% of the pie, but 80% of Instagram accounts are based outside of the US. The second most popular Instagram country is Russia at 8.84% - how’s that for the current political landscape? Below them is Brazil and Turkey at roughly 5.4% each.

All of these useful statistics were gathered as part of a new research from Website Builder, which also looks at the history and rise of the image-centric platform.

For Marketers

This is simple but powerful data. Business owners all know that to run the most efficient and successful marketing campaigns you have to target the right audience. If you’re selling luxury make-up, you aren’t going to target men. And if you only serve consumers in the United States, you must be careful not to waste energy on the other 80% of Instagram users. On the other hand you may want to ask yourself, if I have access to such a large global user base – ‘why aren’t we catering to consumers outside of the states?’

Global brands particularly benefit from such a powerful network. What makes Instagram even more useful than some of the other social sites is that because the focus is primarily photos and images, (and captions are typically short and filled with emojis), it breaks down language barriers. A beautiful photo is beautiful whether you are in the US, Russia or Brazil.  

Whatever your target audience now is definitely the time to jump on the bandwagon. The infographic reveals that 48.8% of brands are already using the platform and this is expected to jump to 70.7% this year. Around half of all users follow at least one business and 5% of them can be inspired to take action (such as visiting your site, searching for more info, or telling a friend). You can even take the paid route – 500,000 businesses are currently advertising on Instagram.

For more interesting facts about Instagram that may help you with your marketing campaigns, check out the full infographic.

Megan Arevalo, community director and writer for Websitebuilder.org, lives in Portland Oregon with her husband and two young children. When she isn't calling to the duties of motherhood, she creates and manages content for Websitebuilder. She is passionate about social media, website building, writing, photography and of course, her children and husband. Catch her on Instagram @__abrelosojos.