The Top 10 Social Media Sites & Platforms

Social media is integral to our each day lives.

With 4.8 billion social media customers worldwide – accounting for 59.9% of the worldwide inhabitants – social platforms have develop into obligatory hubs for gathering data, connecting with our buddies and family members, and rising our companies.

And social media customers have grown to belief and depend on their most popular social networks for every part from real-time information and updates to way of life hacks, product analysis, and extra.

For entrepreneurs, the world of social media represents an expansive space of alternative – and each person is a possible buyer.

With the proper instruments, assets, and a powerful social media technique, entrepreneurs can leverage social media platforms to spice up consciousness for his or her enterprise, have interaction their audience, and even nurture a loyal neighborhood.

However with so many various social media platforms present as we speak, it’s practically unimaginable to be current on each single one – not to mention excel in each house.

Success in social media advertising and marketing begins with choosing the proper platforms on your model. It’s essential determine the place your audience is spending essentially the most time and the place it is sensible on your manufacturers to work together with them.

On this article, we’ll take a look at the main social media platforms, giving a fast overview of what they’re earlier than exploring what kinds of companies would possibly discover them most helpful.

Prime 10 Social Media Platforms In contrast

*Variety of month-to-month energetic customers worldwide, up to date October 2023.

The Prime 10 Social Media Apps By Month-to-month Lively Customers

*Variety of month-to-month energetic customers worldwide up to date October 2023.

The Prime 10 Social Media Websites And Platforms

1. Fb

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA.
• Launched: 2004.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 3 billion.
• Founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes.
• Income: Fb-specific income not recognized.

Whereas Fb won’t be the thrilling new platform it as soon as was – and might need fallen out of favor with youthful customers – make no mistake: it’s nonetheless round, and extra fashionable than ever.

As we speak, Fb operates beneath the umbrella of Meta, Inc., which additionally owns platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Per Meta’s full-year earnings report, its “Household of Apps” – which incorporates Fb, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and different apps – generated a complete of $114.45 billion in income in 2022.

Lately, Fb has undergone a demographic shift – but its affect within the social media sphere stays unparalleled.

Industries resembling monetary companies, ecommerce, retail, media, telecom, know-how, and client items proceed to harness Fb’s expansive attain to attach with customers and develop their model consciousness – with newer sectors like gaming, leisure, and automotive companies additionally discovering their footing on the platform.

In the event you’re trying to drive conversions, your finest wager is to put money into Fb adverts – particularly given the Information Feed is more and more suppressing enterprise posts.

That mentioned, there are nonetheless loads of methods to generate natural engagement with out investing in adverts.

Contemplate becoming a member of (or constructing) area of interest communities with Fb Teams, leveraging Messenger chatbots for customized communication, or utilizing stay video to encourage real-time viewers interplay.

2. YouTube

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Launched: 2005.
• Headquarters: San Bruno, California.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 2.5 billion.
• Income: $29.24 billion (2022).
• Founders: Jawed Karim, Steve Chen, Chad Hurley.

YouTube continues to carry the crown because the dominant unique video social media platform. It’s at present the second most used platform, with 2.5 billion month-to-month energetic customers.

In accordance with Alphabet’s This autumn 2022 earnings, YouTube adverts generated $29.24 billion in income in 2022. It’s value noting that that quantity doesn’t embrace income from non-advertising sources, which incorporates subscription revenues from companies like YouTube TV and YouTube Premium.

The potential for attain on YouTube is unequalled, with 81% of U.S. adults utilizing the platform. Such engagement metrics are arduous for entrepreneurs and types to disregard.

From longform video storytelling to the current introduction of YouTube Shorts, the platform’s TikTok rival, YouTube gives loads of alternatives for manufacturers to interact in visible storytelling and attain new audiences.

And in line with the corporate, it’s a really highly effective advertising and marketing instrument. YouTube viewers say they’re 2X extra doubtless to purchase one thing they noticed on YouTube, and 4X extra doubtless to make use of the platform to search out details about a model, product, or service versus different social networks.

Whether or not you’re into magnificence tutorials, gaming streams, training content material, or DIY hacks, YouTube has all of it. And for manufacturers aiming to pivot into video-centric content material advertising and marketing, YouTube is the platform to prioritize.

3. Instagram

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA.
• Launched: 2010.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 2 billion.
• Founders: Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger.
• Income: Instagram-specific income not recognized.

Instagram is a social community the place product-based companies, influencers, and coaches can thrive.

Launched in 2010, Instagram shortly grew to become the main image-based, visually-rich social platform. Since then, it has solely grown in recognition and attain, changing into a spot for customers to conduct and analysis each facet of their lives.

The platform has additionally launched new options that entrepreneurs can leverage to develop consciousness, together with ephemeral Tales, vertical-video Reels, and extra.

Since introducing shoppable posts in 2018, the potential ROI for product-based companies has been increased than ever.

Not solely can B2B companies join with an enormous viewers, they’ll seamlessly transition followers from product analysis to buy by linking product data and making gross sales – all inside the Instagram interface.

And in case your goal demographic is beneath 35, Instagram is a gold mine: over 68% of Instagram customers are beneath 35.

4. TikTok

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Launched: 2016.
• Headquarters: Culver Metropolis, California.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 1.2 billion.
• Founders: ByteDance Ltd, Zhang Yiming, Toutiao.
• Income: Unknown.

TikTok payments itself as “the main vacation spot for short-form cell video” with an organization mission to encourage creativity and produce pleasure. And evidently, it’s succeeding.

As a privately held firm, ByteDance is just not required to reveal monetary data, so we can’t be sure of TikTok’s annual income. Nonetheless, a report from Bloomberg suggests the mum or dad firm generated someplace within the ballpark of $80 billion in 2022 – and the social app accounts for a share of that.

TikTok’s meteoric rise over the previous few years has been unprecedented. In 2017, after just one yr, the app grew to become the fastest-growing app worldwide.

Its give attention to short-form movies pushed by audio and visible tendencies has taken the world by storm, with different platforms dashing to emulate it.

Regardless of makes an attempt to ban TikTok within the U.S. and being banned in India, as of 2021, the app had been downloaded greater than 3.5 billion instances globally.

And whereas TikTok reaches customers of all demographics, in case your model desires to attach with Technology Z, it needs to be your first precedence.

Within the U.S., it’s significantly fashionable among the many 12 to 17 age bracket, who represent about 17.7% of the person base.

These customers are extremely engaged, too, with the typical person spending practically 54 minutes on the app day-after-day – the longest period of time of any app, forward of YouTube at 48.7 minutes.

5. Snapchat

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA.
• Launched: 2011.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 750 million.
• Founders: Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Daniel Smith, David Kravitz, Leo Noah Katz.
• Income: $4.6 billion (2022).

If a youthful viewers is your goal, Snapchat could be a platform value contemplating. This social platform is a superb place for connecting with millennials and Gen Z customers.

Snapchat now reaches 70% of 13 to 24-year-olds, showcasing its immense enchantment to the youthful era.

The typical Snapchat person spends 19 minutes per day on the app – not sufficient time to rival that of TikTok and YouTube, however nonetheless a possibility window for manufacturers to achieve and join with them.

Snapchat has a uniquely natural really feel, with content material that gives an unfiltered glimpse into on a regular basis moments – so the platform is a haven for user-generated content material, behind-the-scenes movies, unique gives, and influencer takeovers.

The platform has at all times maintained its dedication to real-time, ephemeral content material, and it gives a way of privateness to customers that many different social platforms don’t. Because of this, it’s a worthwhile instrument for manufacturers that wish to authentically communicate to a youthful demographic who could be much less within the broader approaches of different social networks.

And whereas it might not get as a lot consideration because the likes of Instagram and TikTok, Snapchat is quietly buzzing alongside. Since launching its premium subscription service Snapchat+, the model introduced it has generated 5 million paying subscribers who’re prepared to dish out cash for entry to unique options.

6. X/Twitter

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: San Francisco, CA.
• Launched: 2006.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 541 million (July 2023).
• Founders: Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, Noah Glass.
• Income: $3 billion (2023) estimated.

Since being bought by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in October 2022 for $44 billion, Twitter has undergone some main modifications – together with its rebranding as “X.”

Different modifications Musk has made throughout his time as CEO embrace introducing Twitter Blue (now X Premium), a paid month-to-month subscription service that connected a price ticket to verification, shutting down various bot accounts, and launching a service the place creators can receives a commission a share of income generated by their subscribers.

This might clarify the fluctuation within the information and numbers round X’s site visitors and customers. Whereas some sources present X’s site visitors as being down YoY, a July tweet from Musk revealed that month-to-month customers reached an all-time excessive in 2023.

One factor is for certain: X (previously Twitter) stays an area to look at. Regardless of some turmoil over the previous yr, it’s clear that there are large plans for the platform, and it stays a forerunner amongst social media platforms.

If your small business is said to leisure, sports activities, politics, tech, or advertising and marketing, there are nonetheless alternatives to drive nice engagement on this app – if yow will discover your viewers there.

On X, manufacturers have a possibility to craft and hone their voice. There’s room to be intelligent and personable whereas nonetheless being informative and useful.

Soar into conversations, present worth, share your personal content material in addition to others, and be a part of the dialog. Simply you’ll want to monitor the app and your viewers to verify your funding is paying off.

7. Pinterest

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Launched: 2010.
• Headquarters: San Francisco, CA.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 465 million.
• Founders: Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp.
• Income: $2.8 billion (2022).

Like Instagram, Pinterest is a social media platform that’s targeted on wealthy visuals. From scrumptious recipes to dwelling decor inspiration, wedding ceremony concepts, exercise strikes, and DIY-related content material, Pinterest is the place visible desires come to life.

In case your model has an curiosity in visible storytelling, Pinterest is the platform for you.

Notably, 60% of Pinterest customers are ladies. In case your viewers is predominantly ladies, that’s a compelling cause to take a position time in social media advertising and marketing on Pinterest.

That’s to not say that males aren’t on Pinterest – male Pinners are up 40% year-over-year (as are Gen Z Pinners!).

What’s extra, Pinterest has confirmed itself to be a robust advertising and marketing instrument. 89% of weekly Pinners use the platform for inspiration on their path to buy, whereas 80% have found a brand new model or product on Pinterest.

8. Reddit

Screenshot by creator, November 2023

• Launched: 2005.
• Headquarters: San Francisco, CA.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 430 million.
• Founders: Steve Huffman, Alexis Ohanian, Aaron Swartz.
• Income: $400 million (estimated).

Reddit heralds itself as “the entrance web page of the web,” and in line with Alexa rankings, Reddit is among the high 20 most-visited websites.

Because it’s not a public firm, Reddit doesn’t should disclose its financials, so we don’t have a precise image of its annual income. Nonetheless, in mid-2021, the corporate referred to having hit $100 million in quarterly advert income – so, based mostly on this, we are able to fairly assume it’s within the ballpark of $400 million.

It has develop into often known as the dominant digital watercooler, and changed boards and chatrooms of yore to be the go-to place for connecting with likeminded communities and getting your questions answered.

Reddit has a novel mix of content material and neighborhood, with greater than 2.8 million communities, or subreddits, devoted to each subject conceivable. Whether or not you’re in tech, trend, gaming, or well being, there’s not less than one subreddit actively discussing your trade.

With so many niches, there’s a spot for each model and enterprise to interact their viewers – it’s a matter of discovering the niches the place your potential clients are energetic and diving in.

Nonetheless, be warned: Reddit thrives on authenticity and real interplay. Customers don’t sometimes reply effectively to blatant self-promotion, and advertising and marketing gimmicks shall be met with sharp skepticism.

Manufacturers ought to beware earlier than wandering into any subreddit and making an attempt to tout their merchandise to neighborhood members.

It’s essential to get the tone proper from the start, as commentators gained’t hesitate to name out and critique what they understand as inauthentic.

Interact thoughtfully, contribute genuinely, and Reddit could possibly be an unimaginable advertising and marketing instrument on your model.

9. LinkedIn

Screenshot from creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA.
• Launched: 2003.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: <350 million (2023) estimated.
• Founders: Reid Hoffman, Konstantin Guericke, Allen Blue, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Eric Ly.
• Income: $15 billion+ (2023).

LinkedIn has been considerably of a darkish horse amongst social media platforms. Whereas many could not initially have anticipated a career-focused social platform to take off, it has develop into one of many extra fashionable and fascinating platforms, with an enormous and influential neighborhood of execs.

In contrast to different social media platforms, LinkedIn doesn’t publicly share its variety of month-to-month energetic customers. Nonetheless, as a part of the EU’s new DSA, the corporate did launch MAU counts for its EU customers – and by taking the share of energetic customers within the EU and making use of the identical tendencies to international person counts (and accounting for variations in utilization), the group at Social Media As we speak was in a position to give you “lower than 350 million” as an inexpensive estimate.”

The platform boasts over 180 million customers holding senior roles, 63 million decision-makers, and 10 million C-level executives – making it a hotspot for these aiming to attach with people who’ve the ability to rent your organization, inventory your product, or companion together with your model.

And the platform isn’t only for networking – it’s an aspirational hub. Each week, 61 million individuals use LinkedIn to seek for job alternatives – so it’s a sensible place to market your model.

LinkedIn is a really targeted social media platform. Due to that, it has limitless potential for connecting with an elite group of execs who could make a distinction for your small business.

10. Threads

Screenshot from creator, November 2023

• Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA.
• Launched: 2023.
• Month-to-month Lively Customers: 100 million (2023).
• Founders: Mark Zuckerberg.
• Income: Unknown.

The newcomer to the block, Threads was created by the group behind Instagram and launched in July 2023. The text-based app was designed as a competitor to X (previously Twitter).

It appears and features fairly equally to X (previously Twitter), although Threads requires you to have an Instagram account with a purpose to enroll.

Threads initially made a splash within the social media house by shortly surpassing 150 million downloads and changing into essentially the most profitable social media platform launch in historical past.

Since then, it has struggled to retain customers – however there may be nonetheless loads of promise for the way forward for the platform.

So, who needs to be promoting on Threads? It’s nonetheless early days, so the reply isn’t completely clear but.

The excellent news is that Threads seems to be participating customers by leaning into its technique to create a optimistic neighborhood house, and veering away from the extremely politicized panorama that you simply would possibly discover on X.

In case your model is on the lookout for an alternative choice to X (previously Twitter) or is eager to attempt your hand at a brand new platform, Threads is actually value testing.

Its integration with Instagram means that you’ve the potential to construct a following fairly quickly if in case you have a powerful and engaged Instagram neighborhood.

Which Platform(s) Ought to You Use?

The ubiquity of social media is simple.

Out of your teenage neighbor who desires to go viral on TikTok to your 86-year-old grandmother who’s utilizing Fb to trace down long-lost buddies, everyone has a use for social media.

But, in the case of enterprise, a one-size-fits-all method to social media gained’t work.

So, in the event you had been hoping you’d attain the tip of this piece, and discover a easy, definitive reply on the right platform on your model, you’re out of luck.

Each social media combine shall be distinctive.

Every platform gives distinct options and functionalities, some which align extra naturally with particular industries or advertising and marketing aims.

Whether or not you’re trying to increase buyer engagement, enhance attain, or create unforgettable model experiences, all of it begins with getting clear in your objectives.

Begin by understanding your aims, determining the place your viewers is most energetic, after which tailoring your technique to resonate on these channels.

It’s all about making the proper decisions and discovering genuine alignment with a purpose to make use of this highly effective advertising and marketing alternative.

Up to date with information from DataReportal’s Digital 2023 October World Statshot Report. 

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Featured Picture: Viktollio/Search Engine Journal