28 most popular social media platforms worldwide
Social media platforms can increase brand awareness, engage with your audience, and provide valuable insights.
With so many options available, below is a list of 28 top social media platforms worldwide and how to use them for your business.
Top Social Media Platforms in 2023
1. Facebook:
Facebook has 2.9 billion users, with 1.93 billion users visiting every day. Over 7 million advertisers are active on the platform.
To tap into this vast customer base, create a business page on Facebook. Optimize it by claiming a vanity URL, optimizing your “about” section, adding an 820 x 312 cover photo, and including a call to action.
2.YouTube:
YouTube is a leading video platform where users watch 1 billion hours of content daily. As of 2021, it has the highest ROI of all video content platforms and earned $28.84 billion in global ad revenue.
Regardless of your industry, YouTube offers various communities to engage with. To get started:
– Create a YouTube channel linked to your brand account.
– Upload a trailer or short video to introduce your brand and encourage engagement.
– Engage with users by commenting, liking, and subscribing to related brands.
– Organize videos into playlists and share them on other social media platforms.
– Use YouTube Analytics to measure performance, even if you are not actively posting.
3.WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is a messaging platform with a daily messaging volume of 100 billion. It is a convenient way to communicate worldwide.
WhatsApp Business is a free app for small businesses. Owners can create a catalog of their products and services and quickly respond to messages.
WhatsApp Business API is better for medium to large businesses. It helps owners provide customer support and send notifications.
Features include sending order and shipping notifications and allowing customers to browse products directly on WhatsApp.
4. Instagram:
Instagram is an app for sharing visual content. It makes much money from ads (an estimated $25.05 billion in 2021).
To use it for business, make an Instagram Business Profile. This allows you to view analytics, schedule posts and set up a shop, book reservations, add contact info and links, and promote your posts.
5.WeChat:
WeChat started as a messaging app but now offers much more, including calls, messaging, online shopping, money transfers, etc. It is the “app for everything” and China’s most popular social media app. If you want to increase your brand awareness in China, advertising on WeChat is a good option. Three primary advertising placements are available: WeChat Moments ads, WeChat Article banner ads, and WeChat Mini Program ads.
6.TikTok:
TikTok/Douyin is a video hosting app created by ByteDance in 2016. It features short-form videos, trends, and memes. It has over 1 billion monthly active users, with 25% aged 10-19. Advertisers can run top-view or in-feed ads, create branded effects, or start Branded Hashtag Challenges (median engagement rate of 17.5%).
7. Facebook Messenger:
Messenger is a popular messaging app with 2 million monthly downloads. Businesses and customers exchange over 20 billion messages monthly, making it an excellent platform for lead generation. 65% of customers are more likely to purchase from a business they can contact through chat. Take advantage of potential new customers and sales – use Messenger!
8. Douyin:
Douyin is the Chinese version of TikTok, with advanced features such as group live streaming, in-app shopping, and location tagging. The app is only available for users aged 14 and above in mainland China. It is ideal for Chinese businesses to reach younger audiences, as 80% of Douyin users are between 19 to 40 years old.
9. QQ:
QQ is China’s second most popular social media platform after WeChat and Douyin. It offers various features beyond chat, including games, music, shopping, and microblogging.
QQ is an excellent business platform due to its in-app shopping capabilities and hyper-specific ad-targeting options based on location, age, gender, and interests.
In addition to traditional social media ads, QQ enables KOLs to host fan groups to promote products. Users may receive a discount code or special deal for joining these groups.
Moreover, advertising on QQ also covers Qzone, which is owned by Tencent, allowing businesses to reach a broader audience.
10. Weibo:
Weibo is a Chinese social media platform that allows users to post images, send personal messages, follow trending topics, and more. It is popular among younger users and provides business opportunities through influencer campaigns, sponsored posts, and a “Weibo lottery.”
11. Kuaishou:
Kuaishou is a video-sharing platform that competes with Douyin and TikTok. It began in 2011 as “GIF Kuaishou” and added short videos in 2013 and live streaming in 2016. Kuaishou is expanding into e-commerce and gaming, with popular “shopping festivals” where brands partner with influencers for live-streamed promotions. In 2020, Kuaishou partnered with JD.com, making over USD 200 million daily sales.
12. Snapchat:
Snapchat is a messaging app popular with younger users. Other platforms like Instagram have similar features. You can create sponsored geofilter lenses and run ads starting at $5 per day.
13. Qzone:
Qzone is a blogging app with features similar to Facebook and Myspace. Users can create blogs, share photos, play games, and watch videos. Celebrities and influencers use it to connect with their fans, providing opportunities for influencer marketing campaigns. Marketers can also run ads for brand and product promotion.
14. Telegram:
Telegram is a secure messaging app with self-destructing messages. Businesses can use it through a Telegram Bot/Business Account or Business API. Also, Telegram allows broadcasting to an unlimited number of recipients.
15. Pinterest:
Pinterest is a social platform for image sharing. Businesses can use it to reach new customers. To make the most of it, carefully plan your boards and optimize pins for SEO. Advertising on Pinterest can also help gain new customers. Connect Pinterest to our Social Media Toolkit to easily schedule your pins.
16. Twitter:
Twitter is a social media platform for posting 280-character tweets on current events and trending topics. It has an 84% brand growth in 2022.
A business Twitter account can help connect with potential customers and quickly resolve complaints.
Twitter is the top platform for discovery and ad views. The Social Media Poster shows a character counter for scheduled tweets.
17. Reddit:
Reddit is a news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website with various communities called “subreddits.” As a business, you can participate in subreddits related to your community but follow Reddit’s guidelines on self-promotion. With 1.5 billion monthly visits, Reddit offers an extensive reach for your niche.
18.LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is now more than just a job search engine. Microsoft bought it for USD 26.2 billion in 2016, recognizing its potential as a platform. Businesses can use it to grow their audience by sharing relevant content and connecting with industry leaders. Additionally, you can schedule posts and analyze data by clicking your LinkedIn account to the Social Media Toolkit.
19. Quora:
Quora is a social Q&A platform where users can ask and answer questions on any topic. Keep in mind that all content is user-generated and not always reliable. Users vote on answers, making it useful for opinion-based questions. Businesses can engage with customers and build thought leadership by answering questions and observing communication. Avoid sounding sales-driven.
20. Viber:
Viber is an instant messaging app that offers messaging, voice and video calls, group chats, and more. It was acquired by Rakuten in 2014 for $900 million and prioritizes safety by providing end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and editing/deleting messages. You can create a Viber Business account to interact with your customers and send individual/broadcast messages.
21. IMO:
Imo is a free messenger app that allows you to make audio and video calls, send texts, share files, and post stories. You can also join chat rooms and groups to connect with new people.
Businesses can create accounts, run ads, and set weekly budgets. With Imo’s smaller size, there is less competition in your niche.
22. LINE:
LINE is a messaging app that allows users to exchange text, images, videos, and audio. In 2021, the company launched LINE Voom, similar to TikTok. Users can follow each other, post video content, and make payments through LINE Pay.
For businesses, LINE offers a LINE for Business account to interact with customers and run ads. Companies can create branded stickers, run video and traditional ads, and run an “online-merge-offline” campaign to encourage users to visit their stores while gaining insight into their shopping behavior.
23. Picsart:
Picsart is a free mobile app that lets you edit photos and videos. Use #freeforbusiness to access images, fonts, and stickers for your business. Need more? Two paid options cost under $10/month/user. Upgrade to access more templates, fonts, and features.
24. Likee:
Likee is a short-form video platform similar to TikTok. Popular content can earn you “crowns” or virtual “gifts” that translate to real money. In-app ads, purchases, and gifts can help businesses attract customers and increase sales.
25. Discord:
Discord is an online communication platform that connects people through text, voice chat, and video. Users join or create communities called “servers.” Businesses can create a server to engage with their community, but Discord does not allow advertisements. Spotify uses Discord to share playlists. Discord has 4 billion daily server conversation minutes and can be used to connect with audiences, share updates, and more.
26. Twitch:
Twitch is a popular live-streaming gaming, music, and creative content platform. In Q1 2021, users watched 6.13B hours of content on Twitch. Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 for $970M. Advertise on Twitch via influencer marketing campaigns, ad campaigns, or branded channels.
27. Stack Exchange:
Stack Exchange is a Q&A-style social platform with over 170 communities. Users can vote for the best answers and mark their favorite as “accepted.” To use it for business, answer questions in your niche. Last year, 3.1M questions were asked, and 3.5M answers were given.
28. Tieba:
Baidu Tieba is a forum-based platform where users can interact on various topics. Despite losing 90% of its users since 2015, it still has 45 million users. If you have a large user base in China, Tieba can help connect with potential customers.
