Social media has proven to be a potent market for advertisers. The steady increase in the number of users in 2019 indicates that the peak of investment in social media is still to come. Advertising in social media has become the key driving force behind every successful branding. As every year passes the advertising industry enters into a new age of technological innovations and possibilities.  Virtual and augmented reality will bloom as advertising gets a face-lift, with outdated approaches destined for the scrap heap. Even though social media ad spend was highly placed the traditional way of spending on print media was still in the limelight till recently .But according to a Zenith forecast social media will surpass the print media by owning 13% of global ad spend in 2019.

An estimated 3.48 billion people use social media which is a 9 % higher compared to last year. This data shows that 45% of the total global population are now using social media. More than 40% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands and products.

Zenith, a media agency owned by Publicis Media, predicts  global social media ad spend will grow 20% this year, reaching $84 billion. According to Zenith’s data, social media advertising spend will emerge as the third-largest advertising channel, behind TV and paid search. So far  advertisements spend on newspapers and magazines dominated the sector and for the first time social media ads spend globally will surpass the print media ad .

Data showed that small businesses in the U.S spend heavily on social media and paid search and according to the analysis  U.S. search ad market will grow by nearly 18% in 2019, and Google will have 73.1% of that market and revenues of $40.33 billion. The media agency Zenith attributes the growth across social media ad channels to SMBs shifting and adding budgets in order to take advantage of the targeting and localization capabilities offered by platforms like Facebook.

Facebook ‘s report shows that  more than 140 million businesses are currently using its different apps like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp every month. The report from Facebook establishes the findings of  Zenith that the surge in social media ad spend is a direct result of SMB ad investments.  According to Zenith’s report, paid search ads will take in $107 billion in 2019 and own 17% of global ad spend. TV channels account for 29% of global ad spend and still  remain at  the top ranking but have started losing momentum  .

Traditional media has created exposure for thousands of businesses for decades. With the emergence and popularity of social media, situations have changed and the current scenario indicates that the advertisers prefer social media due to its effectiveness to communicate with the customers in a two-way format by  developing a long-term following, and being able to quickly promote new products and services. Social Media advertising is here to stay as  social media is the single-most underpriced, effective, and direct-to-audience form of communication to  promote business.