The first social networking site – Six Degrees was launched in 1996.
Social media has seen tremendous growth since then.
And how!
With the launch of networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, the number of people actively engaging in social networking has only risen.
The statistics for 2023 show that there are 4.48 billion active social media users worldwide.
Marketers are incorporating new ways to increase their brand reach and get to the right audience. And what better way to find your audience than to utilize the power of social networking?
Your social media strategy not only requires platforms that have the most users, but these platforms should also serve your business needs well.
And with so many social networking sites to choose from, which platform is right for you? For your reference, we’ve put together a list of 20+ most popular social networking sites and applications.
Monthly Active Users: 774 million
This professional networking site is great for B2B marketing. The audience on LinkedIn focuses on sharing professional content instead of personal.
If you’re looking for collaborators and connect with industry experts, this is where you should start. LinkedIn also allows you to access display and personalized ads and publish blogs.
Monthly Active Users: 2.89 billion
Easily the most popular platform on our list, Facebook is where you’ll find most social media users actively engaging with brands.
It doesn’t just allow you to connect with your peers; you can also use Facebook to sell your products through Facebook Shops and promote your brand through Facebook Ads.
It’s also a favorite among businesses, as reports show that approximately 70% of brands find new customers through Facebook.
Monthly Active Users: 376 million
Tumblr is not just a place to share fan art; it boasts of a versatile and creative audience base. If you’re looking to target artistic millennials, you’ll most likely find them on Tumblr.
This micro-blogging service allows you to customize your blog and post anything. It’s a great platform to establish your presence in a niche market.
Monthly Active Users: 1 billion
Owned by Facebook, this app-based platform is a must for brands prioritizing Influencer Marketing. With features like Instagram Stories, IGTV, and Instagram Live, marketers can make the most of video content to engage with their audience.
Creating a business profile will let you integrate Instagram Shopping and Insights too.
Monthly Active Users: 430 million
Reddit allows users to converse and upvote or downvote comments to show their support. Marketers can join discussions on the dedicated forums, aka subreddits and learn more about their target audience.
Reddit doesn’t prioritize self-promotion, and rather relies on building a community. However, you can integrate Reddit advertising for your business.
Monthly Active Users: 2.3 billion
Currently the second-largest global search engine, YouTube is a pot of gold for content creators. If video marketing is your thing, don’t miss out on this platform.
Brands can add YouTube advertising to their social strategy and share quality content easily across the globe. Stick to the community guidelines, and you’ll not connect with your audience but also monetize your videos in no time.
Monthly Active Users: 1 billion
Still new to the social scene, ByteDance’s TikTok has garnered a huge user base since its inception in 2016. If your target demographic includes Gen Z, you have to master this application.
It’s easy to go viral on TikTok, but that’s also why the social platform is heavily saturated.
Monthly Active Users: 353 million
Twitter has surprisingly lesser users when compared to other networks on this list. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t influential. In fact, 54% of users have taken action after seeing the brand mentioned on Twitter.
Using ads, integrating customer service, and growing an active customer following. You can do all of this with Twitter.
Monthly Active Users: 2 billion
Originally created for connecting with family and friends, this platform now offers a WhatsApp Business application and WhatsApp Business API to create business profiles.
Brands can showcase their catalogs and offer quick customer service through this messaging application. That’s not all. Unlike most messengers, WhatsApp is ad-free.
Monthly Active Users: 300 million
Have you noticed Q&As for search queries on Google? That’s Quora for you. Quora is a social network that allows people to ask and respond to questions about varied topics.
So, how do marketers use it for advertising? Placing high on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP), Quora offers ‘promoted answers’ and lets you share content easily.
Monthly Active Users: 60 million
One of the best free social networking sites, Medium, is a blogging platform fused with social networking. Brands can publish or republish written articles from their company websites to Medium.
You can keep the articles free to read and gain traffic or offer them through paid services and earn extra income.
Monthly Active Users: 514 million
Evan Spiegel’s creation, Snapchat, lets you communicate via short videos that can be customized using filters and stickers. It was Snapchat that made the ‘Stories’ format popular.
Brands can utilize Snapchat ads and Snapchat for business to target Gen Z and ace the platform by using their in-built analytics – Snapchat Insights.
Monthly Active Users: 500 million
A secure messaging application, Telegram can be used to create chatbots, broadcast messages to the audience, and provide customer support.
Brands can create large group chats (for around 200,000 members) to announce launches or simply interact with their audience.
Founder Pavel Durov has plans to introduce Telegram’s ad platform soon.
Monthly Active Users: 500 million
A secure messaging application, Telegram can be used to create chatbots, broadcast messages to the audience, and provide customer support.
Brands can create large group chats (for around 200,000 members) to announce launches or simply interact with their audience.
Founder Pavel Durov has plans to introduce Telegram’s ad platform soon.
Registered Users: 90 million
Goodreads is a niche networking site that focuses solely on books. This platform allows readers to connect with each other through virtual book clubs. Users can also share their reading lists, book recommendations, and reviews that can link to their own blogs or websites.
Monthly Active Users: 454 million
Pinterest is a virtual pinboard application where users can share images, videos, and GIFs. Brands can optimize their social media plan by using Pinterest to access Shoppable ads and encourage conversions.
When it comes to driving website traffic, this social network gives over 5% of the overall referral traffic.
Monthly Active Users: 140 million
Popular within gamers, this messaging network allows users to connect using group chats. Discord has almost 13.5 million servers active every week. If your target audience primarily consists of teens, you can easily find them on this platform.
Monthly Active Users: 1.25 billion
The most popular messaging network in China, WeChat lets you message, call, shop online, and transfer money through a single site.
Brands looking to expand their reach internationally should consider investing their time in WeChat. You can market through WeChat using subscription or service accounts. You can set up stores and even advertise on this platform.
Monthly Active Users: 1.3 billion
Facebook’s stand-alone application Messenger lets advertisers create chatbots for customer service, send newsletters, and advertise on the application.
You can seamlessly link Facebook and Instagram accounts for a particular user. For the record, approximately 40 million businesses are actively engaging with their audience through Facebook Messenger.
Monthly Active Users: 140 million
Twitch is a live-streaming network that was established in 2011. Mostly used by gamers, users can stream their play and interact with their audience as well.
Creators on this platform make money through ads and affiliates. Brands have used Twitch to generate leads through influencer marketing (gamers are very popular) and increase brand reach through paid ads.
Weekly Active Users: 10 million
Clubhouse was launched in 2020 and has accumulated over 10 million users already. So what can you do on this application? It’s an audio-only app where you can visit virtual ‘rooms’ to have live conversations.
Currently, it’s available on iOS and Android. The application requires an invite code to begin with. It’s relatively new, which means that brands can experiment with testing new content.
Clubhouse is all about networking. It’s add-free and doesn’t support DMs which means that brands have to find other ways to generate leads here. Add your Twitter or Instagram links to your bio and start engaging in relevant Clubhouse rooms.
Wrapping Up
Sure, sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have a global appeal that can let you target a wider demographic. But it’s better to experiment with some new sites to see if they aid in lead generation.
Instead of focusing on the active users, consider where your target demographic can be found easily. And it’s always best to incorporate multiple networking sites to get more out of your social media strategy.
Ace social media marketing by using SocialPilot. It allows you to post content across platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more. That’s not all. You can curate content, schedule it when you want and also analyze its performance.
Isn’t that great? Besides, it comes with a 14-day FREE trial.
Go, check it out now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a social networking site used for?
Initially, social networks were primarily used for connecting with other people. Brands have started using these networks to find new leads and build better customer relationships. That’s not all. Social media can also supplement collaboration and reputation management for businesses.
Can I post the same content on multiple social networks?
Cross-posting can save you a lot of time and aid in staying active on multiple networks. However, each social network integrates a different format and caters to varied demographics. You would have to alter your content to abide by the platform’s rules.
How can I choose the right social network for my business?
Start with knowing where your target audience can be found and how they are interacting on a platform. Keep checking the updated statistics to know about any development in the social media scene. Then, decide what media formats you’d like to incorporate in your strategy. Be open to experimenting with any new platform and revise your strategy after analyzing your performance.
Which are the most popular social networking sites?
Going by the recent numbers, these are the most popular networking sites:
- YouTube
- Messenger
How can I check my social media performance?
Networking sites like Facebook and Instagram allow businesses to access their in-built tracking tools. Some marketers also integrate third-party tools such as SocialPilot to monitor the performance of multiple networks.
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