Ten Takeaways from Rival IQ’s 2021 Social Media Benchmark Report
Each year, social media giant Rival IQ publishes their Social Media Industry Benchmark Report. The document examines 14 different industries to find benchmarks for success on social. This year, they reviewed more than 2 million posts with 3 billion comments. Below, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite takeaways from this year’s report.
COVID-19 was a smaller factor than anticipated. The pandemic didn’t lead to dramatic declines in any industry.
For the second year in a row, brands across all industries are posting less frequently.
Engagement rates on Facebook and Twitter stayed flat, while engagement on Instagram went down.
Diversifying hashtags matters - what works on IG might not fly on Twitter.
Carousels are king. Instagram re-serves carousel posts to users who don’t engage the first time, increasing engagement opportunities.
The highest engagement rates on facebook were from influencers and sports teams.
Higher Ed’s engagement on Instagram was nearly double that of the nearest industry.
Brand tweeted about 20% less this year, but media and sports teams tweeted more than the other 12 industries combined.
The median post rate on Instagram only declined 8%, suggesting brands are staying consistent on IG.
Media brands posted the most on Facebook (9.7x higher than median) and Twitter (12x higher than median), while sports teams posted most frequently on Instagram.
Do any of these stats shock you? What was your most interesting takeaway from the report? Download at the link above and let us know on Twitter.