Social media is probably the fastest changing environment these days. What worked for your social strategy last year may now fall flat, and a trick you would never have taken seriously six months ago will now be the hottest way to attract leads from social media platforms.

That means you should keep a close eye on the industry trends and adjust your strategy accordingly, especially when these trends are so surprising. Here are some of the most unexpected social media stats that you can – and should – use when planning your social strategy.

YouTube beats cable TV in reaching Americans aged 18-34.

It seems to be general knowledge that cable TV is the best way to reach a mass audience. However, if your target audience is 18 to 34-year-old US residents, it’s YouTube you should rely on. Statistics shows that YouTube has much more users in that category than any cable channel.

How to use this?

If you are still not using YouTube videos to promote your business, it’s high time to do that. You can post promo videos, tutorials, short intros of your company and the team – video content offers lots of opportunities.

25% of 18-44-year old smartphone users hardly ever part with it.

In a survey, 25% of smartphone owners, aged between 18 and 44, said they couldn’t remember not having their smartphone with them. That means they are connected to the Internet most of the day and can check their social accounts at any time.

How to use this?

With people having their phones around most of the time, it’s easier for you to reach them regardless of the time your post goes live. This also means you should make all your content mobile-friendly and easy to share on a mobile device, as there is a good chance it will be viewed on a smartphone.

LinkedIn gets 2 new users each second.

With that rate, LinkedIn is one of the most rapidly growing social platforms. Combined with its “professional” specifics, it’s a number one place to reach the audience in a certain industry.

How to use this?

Obviously, if so many people are joining the network, there is a big percentage of novice users. You may want to focus on these users and make your group more newbie-friendly. On the whole, LinkedIn’s growth rate makes you want to add this platform to your strategy, if it’s still not there.

Older users are the fastest growing demographic on major social media platforms.

It’s now an outdated misconception that social media are for teenagers. 55-54-year olds are the fastest growing share of Twitter users: this group has grown by 79% since 2012. For Facebook and Google+ the fastest growing demographic is the 45-54 age group (46% and 56% growth rate accordingly).

How to use this?

Keep in mind these age groups when creating content for the key social media platforms. If you focus primarily on young users, you may be missing a whole new audience.

LinkedIn users are less active than those on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter

LinkedIn is growing fast, but stats show its users are less engaged than Facebook’s or Twitter’s. Because of the platform’s specifics, a LinkedIn account is not what people actively use.

How to use this?

Leave content that requires action, like polls or contests, for Facebook and Google+, and prepare something less participatory for your LinkedIn followers – blog posts, news, interesting stats.

What determines your social media strategy is your audience and your goals, but keeping up with the new trends will let you adjust it and squeeze even more out of your social media accounts!

Do you follow the changes in the social media industry? Will these stats make you reconsider and adjust your strategy? Feel free to reply in the comments.