Top 10 Social Media Sites Businesses Need To Be On
Published September 26, 2023
Social media has morphed and has become increasingly competitive in 2023, with the leading A-players, Facebook, YouTube, and Whatsapp, dominating the scene. TikTok, now with over 1.1 billion users, is dubbed the fastest-growing social media platform this year, with 60% of users classified as Gen Zers.
Facebook has also recently launched Threads to rival Twitter, which became an overnight sensation, having over 1 million users jumping in on its first day of launch, and peaked at a parabolic 100 million users in the first five days following its launch, surpassing ChatGPT’s pace. The new microblogging platform currently has over 120 million users.
Statista reveals over 5.18 billion internet users worldwide as of April 2023, with social media users worldwide swelling to as much as 4.89 billion.
With the ever-changing social media landscape, businesses must keep up or even get ahead with their marketing strategies to successfully adapt and thrive. With many emerging social media platforms, jumping at anything in sight is tempting. Still, businesses must be strategic and know how their customers behave, where their target audience hangs out, and how to make the most of social media to skyrocket sales.
So, what social media sites to focus on? Is it safe to go with the flow and try every social media platform available? Would you need a social media team to get that expertly figured out and manned for you? We did the heavy lifting to get the numbers required, so you don’t have to. Below are the top 10 popular social media apps you should leverage into – the fast and furious way!
With almost 3 billion or 2.989 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook remains the most used social media platform globally. And if you are a business looking to tap into this massive and growing user base, Facebook should be first on your list.
Facebook is also flocked by over 200 million businesses worldwide, mainly comprising small companies leveraging the giant social media platform’s free tools to gain maximum visibility, engagement, and sales, tapping on the power of social selling. With over 20 billion messages exchanged daily between businesses and consumers on Facebook Messenger, Facebook is a go-to platform for those researching for business and those ready to purchase.
The best days to post on Facebook are Tuesdays to Fridays. Saturdays may give your posts limited visibility. The best days would be early mornings from Monday to Friday; mid-morning on Tuesdays work like a gem.
YouTube
So, here’s a fun fact: YouTube, the interactive video behemoth known today, was created originally as a dating site on Valentine’s Day, with its inception on February 14, 2005 – but it didn’t work out. When Google bought YouTube in 2006, the magic happened for the video giant.
Fast forward to 2023, YouTube is soaring with over 2.70 billion monthly active users worldwide, devouring over 1 billion hours of video daily. India ranks first with over 467 million active users and is quickly followed by the United States with over 246 million active users. With the rate it’s going, businesses see this social media platform as a constant priority in their marketing game plan.
The benefits of optimizing your videos to rank for search engines are powerful with Google as its owner. Video marketing is also at an all-time high, and with 88% of video marketers using YouTube with its high conversions, the second-largest search engine remains unbeatable in the video realm.
As of June 2023, WhatsApp, the most popular and widely used messaging platform, has over 2.78 billion active users worldwide. WhatsApp for Business is a smart way to be omnipresent to your customers whenever they need more information about your products or services or to provide immediate solutions to complaints.
Many of the world’s biggest and most popular brands, like Estee Lauder, use WhatsApp for a seamless, quick, and hassle-free way to advertise their business with catalogs and collections, promote products and services, announce promos or new offers, respond to customer inquiries, and also to complete hassle-free checkout processes all inside the app.
TikTok
More than just an app for teens doing fun and interactive dance challenges, TikTok, which has over 1.7 billion monthly active users worldwide, has become a must-have social media platform for many businesses because of how the platform allows easy and exciting brand discovery and engagement.
Roughly 90% of TikTok users said, “The platform makes them happy and never gets boring.” More so, around 37% of users who shop and discover products on the platform buy right away, with 49% saying they always find something new on TikTok. So, it goes without saying that if you are a business, being visible on TikTok is a game-changer in your marketing strategy.
What started as a photo-sharing app in 2010 is now a behemoth in marketing for many global brands. Instagram’s global advertising reach has increased by 12.2% or has the potential to reach 176 million users in the past twelve months.
Being on Instagram sends a strong trust signal to potential buyers. Your customers will always look for you on Instagram, either by hashtag or your business name, so if they can’t find you there, that may hurt your visibility or even lose clients to competition who already have a massive following on Instagram.
Top microblogging platform Twitter, founded in 2006, now has over 540 million monthly active users worldwide in Q2 of 2023, according to CEO Elon Musk. While there was a significant drop in advertising revenue this year at 11%, Twitter still rocks it with 500 million tweets exchanged on the platform daily.
Most Twitter users are from the United States, comprising 77.75 million. With millions of active daily users who frequent the platform daily, Twitter will give your brand the visibility it needs to stand out in the blue ocean of competition. Creating stimulating tweets to help your brand make that sense of community and grow your business is essential.
Launched in 2005, Reddit, one of the most popular social networking platforms, is on a bull tempo in popularity as it surges by 38.91% or an estimated 1.660 billion monthly active users worldwide for 2023 and currently has 65,000 premium users.
There are many reasons why Reddit should be in your marketing toolkit. For one, Reddit is great for social listening and market research. With its forum or community setup, you can quickly grow and build a following for your brand. You can quickly create a subreddit, host an AMA, or “Ask-Me-Anything.”
A networking site designed chiefly for professionals and freelancers, with over 63 million businesses listed, LinkedIn has leaders and CEOs aboard. Hence, you will directly deal with the decision-makers when you search for prospects or buyers on the platform.
LinkedIn currently has over 930 million members or users worldwide, and if you are a business, that is one sizeable professional platform to prioritize. LinkedIn is a trusted and reputable professional platform wherein you can enhance brand awareness and reputation and have a wide net to cast in promoting your products and services.
Snapchat
Like Skype, Snapchat has also carved a name for itself in the internet messaging stage. As of Q2 of 2023, Snapchat has over 492.70 million monthly active users worldwide – and is expected to shoot to a whopping 531 million in 2025. The platform also has over 2 million paid subscribers.
Most Snapchat users are Gen Zs, with 60% of teenagers using the instant messaging app globally. With that in mind, brands targeting the younger generation should build visibility with creative and interactive snaps.
With Snapchat, you can create a small yet solid fan base for your business by exchanging or sending pictures, videos, and text messages more personalized or one-on-one that disappears after 10 seconds, so there is always an urgency to consume. This unique and appealing differentiator makes people excited to consume content on Snapchat.
Over 463 million people use Pinterest every month. Many are millennials, so the stereotype that it’s only for moms is untrue. Though women dominate the platform with 76.2% female users as of Q1 2023, males are slowly keeping up in the past couple of months.
This visual social media platform is also a search engine, and it helps businesses drive more traffic to their website, gain more visibility and awareness of their products and services, and generate more conversions to their offers or drive purchases, making this platform a mission-critical part of your social media strategy.
Social Media – The Heartbeat of Every Business
In the ever-changing digital marketing landscape, social media remains the heartbeat of every business. The top 10 social media apps listed here will let you be on your customer’s radar. From the professional connections you can get on LinkedIn to the visual thrill that Snapchat gives users onto the alluring tone of Instagram – always go where you are most needed.
But remember, it’s not about being everywhere; it’s about being where your audience is. So, always prioritize understanding customer demographics, buying behavior, and the nature of your business. With this knowledge, you can strategically select the platforms that align with your goals.
Strive to be authentic, engage with your audience genuinely, and provide value in every interaction in social networks. After all, social media is not just about sales or promotions; it’s always about building relationships and trust.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer and SEO specialist based in the Philippines. She works hard to cross check reputable sources to ensure her work uses accurate facts. She is the lead author for several prominent websites covering a variety of topics including law, health, nutrition, and more.
