Most Popular Social Media Platforms (2023)

Social networks are powerful marketing tools that can help you reach millions of people if used correctly. Discover the most popular networks and how you can use them to your advantage.

Initially seen as a way to connect with people, social media and messaging apps have become one of the most important marketing channels for businesses to reach new audiences. New platforms crop up all the time, and only a select few have managed to hit the heights and attract users on a consistent basis.

While new, more popular platforms are coming up, Facebook is still the king of social media, with almost 3 billion active monthly users.

According to Statista, the 10 most popular social networks based on the number of active monthly users are the following:

  1. Facebook
  2. YouTube
  3. WhatsApp
  4. Instagram
  5. WeChat
  6. TikTok
  7. Facebook Messenger
  8. Douyin
  9. Telegram
  10. Snapchat
top social media networks

For a long time, people labeled TikTok as a fad for teenagers that would go away. Now, marketers see the potential in the platform. Check out TikTok advertising stats and learn what your best marketing approach can be.

How to Use Different Social Media Platforms for Marketing

Every platform has a preferred way of communicating with users, and the demographic can differ drastically. If your strategy is to come up with one idea and replicate it onto other platforms, you’ll inevitably fail.

It’s important to choose the right platform and then choose the right marketing approach to achieve optimal results. Check out what profile of the audience uses each platform and what marketing approach you should take:

Social Media PlatformAge Groups and ProfilesBest Type of ContentBest Marketing Strategy
Facebook– Boomers
– 25–34
– Live videos
– Photos
– Links
– Local marketing
– Relationship building
TikTok– Female users (60%)
– 10–19
– Entertainment
– Challenges
– Humor
– Influencer marketing
– Content series
YouTube18–35– Webinars
– How-tos
– Organic marketing
– SEO
Instagram– Millennials
– 18–34
– Polls
– Motivational
– Influencer marketinge
– Commerce
Twitter– Educated and wealthy people
– 25–49
– News
– Humor
– Discussions
Customer service
LinkedIn– Professionals
– 46–55
– Long-form
– Written content
– B2B
– International marketing
– Organic marketing

If you want to optimize your marketing efforts and make it easier to engage with your audience, check out some of the best social media networking software solutions that can help you increase your reach and interact with your current and potential customers.

Interesting Social Media Marketing Facts

Social media marketing can serve a multitude of purposes, depending on what your goals are. The most common benefit of it is increased brand exposure. Marketers use these networks to spread the word and make people aware of the products and services they offer. Apart from exposure, social media marketing helps by increasing traffic, generating leads, improving sales, and developing a loyal fanbase.

social media marketing benefits

With the number of social media platforms increasing, you have more outlets to reach new customers. This is noticeable when you check out the total advertising spending, which gets bigger every year. In 2021 and 2022, the worldwide digital ad spending was $522.5 and $567.49 billion, respectively. According to eMarketer and PubMatic, that number should reach $835.82 billion in 2026.

What Are the Best Social Media Platforms for Marketing?

Each platform has its pros and cons. It all depends on what target audience you want to find out about you and your products and services. For instance, if you’re looking to increase brand awareness among teenagers, your efforts will most likely be futile on Facebook, whereas a successful influencer campaign on TikTok can strike gold.

In general, the top social media platforms include:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Snapchat
  • Tumblr

Don’t limit your marketing efforts only to social media. Successful companies focus as much (if not more) on SEO, website management, email marketing, and other forms. Check out our reviews of top marketing tools that can help you reach the best results

Summary

Today, social media is not only a potential marketing channel, it’s a must. You can’t grow your brand and keep a customer base without the use of these networks, via which you can reach new customers and engage with existing ones.

On average, people use 6.6 platforms, giving you great opportunities to get in front of them and make them interested in your product. Despite a slight decline in popularity, Facebook is still by far the most popular network, which offers an audience of just under 3 billion monthly users. The platform makes it a lot easier to reach millions of people than by standing outside your storefront and shouting about discounts.

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