When it comes to building your brand, choosing the right social media platforms is crucial. While major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are widely recognized, many others like LinkedIn, Snapchat, and TikTok offer unique opportunities to engage with different audiences.
With the constant evolution of social media, it can be challenging for brands to stay on top of trends and select the most effective platforms for their goals. Understanding the strengths of various social media platforms is essential to crafting a strategy that drives growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore the top 15 social media platforms to help your business succeed and how to determine when it’s time to shift your focus.
15 Social Media Platforms for Your Brand in 2024 and Beyond
This ranking is based on user engagement and the platform's number of users. Here’s an overview:
1. Facebook
With over 3.03 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook continues to be a vital platform in the social media landscape in 2024. Its diverse user demographics make it an ideal platform that can benefit virtually any business.
Facebook excels as both a platform for organic reach and paid advertising. Organic reach involves creating posts that naturally engage followers and prompt them to share, effectively growing your audience. However, due to changes in Facebook's News Feed algorithm, organic business posts are less visible than before.
Paid advertising is crucial in complementing organic reach. It allows more precise targeting, greater reach, and detailed performance analytics. Facebook's Advanced Targeting System will enable businesses to target particular audiences, making your social media ads spending more effective.
2. Instagram
As of 2023, Instagram remains an essential social media platform for businesses, boasting over 1.386 billion active users, with 500 million using the platform daily. The platform is increasingly popular among younger demographics, with 71% of the global Instagram user base being under 35 years old.
Instagram's visual-first ethos makes it the go-to platform for businesses that can create high-quality, engaging visual content. It offers diverse features such as Stories, IGTV, and Reels, providing companies with dynamic ways of connecting with their audience.
What particularly makes Instagram attractive for businesses is its high engagement rates; compared to Facebook, Instagram boasts 10 times higher engagement.
Furthermore, Instagram's integration with Facebook's powerful advertising platform expands the advertising capabilities available to businesses. Advertisers can leverage Instagram's in-depth campaign customization to efficiently reach highly specific target audiences.
3. YouTube
YouTube commands a large share of the online video-sharing market, boasting over two billion active monthly users and featuring at least one billion hours of content viewed daily. With an 80% increase in mobile watch time between 2022 and 2023. Given these statistics, businesses looking to captivate audiences through video content should seriously consider YouTube.
Why pay attention to YouTube?
- Broad Audience: Mobile alone brings YouTube to more 18-49 year olds than any standard TV network. Any business targeting this demographic can potentially benefit.
- Tailored Targeting: With integral support from Google Ads, YouTube allows precise targeting based on various user metrics—demographics, location, interests, specific channels, and even selected video content.
- SEO Advantages: YouTube’s acquisition by Google allows videos to appear on Google's first page of search results, offering improved brand visibility and search engine ranking.
- Enduring Value: Uploaded YouTube videos remain indefinitely, still attracting viewers long after initial publishing. Businesses can enjoy prolonged exposure to any posted content.
- Versatile Format: YouTube facilitates various content—product reviews, vlogs, tutorials, live streams, interviews, etc.—providing diverse opportunities for audience engagement and brand promotion.
Given YouTube's user reach, advanced targeting options, SEO benefits, recurrent value, and diverse content types, businesses stand to gain from cornering this ever-growing platform.
4. WhatsApp
As one of the most influential messaging apps worldwide, WhatsApp has drastically changed the digital communication landscape.
Here are compelling reasons for businesses to focus on WhatsApp:
- Massive Global Reach: WhatsApp is available in more than 180 countries and 60 languages, presenting businesses with an expansive market reach. Businesses can curate localized content specific to each demographic, improving customer satisfaction.
- Personalized Engagement: WhatsApp's one-on-one chat feature facilitates a personal connection between businesses and customers. This tailored approach can significantly enhance customer service and overall user experiences.
- WhatsApp Business: This additional service allows businesses to create an official business profile providing useful information about their services. It has tools for automated responses, sorting, and prompt responses to messages.
- Secure Platform: WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption ensures that all communication remains private. This feature makes it a trusted platform for conversations and transactions, an essential consideration for businesses handling sensitive customer data.
- Multimedia Messaging and Voice Notes: WhatsApp lets users conveniently share images, videos, documents, and voice messages. Businesses can leverage this feature to send enriched content directly to customers, improving the business-to-customer interaction.
5. WeChat
WeChat, developed by the Chinese company Tencent, is the most popular mobile social media platform in China, frequently accessed by 73.7% of internet users. Globally, WeChat is anticipated to reach a staggering 1.671 billion active monthly users.
Here's why businesses should focus on WeChat:
- Expansive User Base: WeChat's massive user base ensures comprehensive coverage globally. It's an excellent platform for engaging diverse audience groups due to its extensive demographic inclusivity.
- Multifunctional Platform: WeChat excels as a 'super app' combining messaging, social media, e-commerce, and digital payments. It allows businesses to enhance customer experience by providing a range of services under one umbrella.
- WeChat Mini Programs: WeChat boasts 3.5 million mini-programs transacting up to 2.7 trillion RMB. These apps-within-an-app allow businesses to host their services directly on the platform, mitigating the need for separate app development.
- Digital Payments Integration: WeChat Pay is widely used across daily life transactions. It extends support to 60 markets, accepting 17 different currencies. Integrated payment streamlines the customer purchase journey, enhancing user experience.
- Advanced Marketing Tools: WeChat offers businesses several marketing and advertising tools. Its Moments feature provides opportunities for ad placements similar to 'news feed' style advertisements on platforms like Facebook.
Effective Communication: Besides traditional messaging, WeChat supports video and voice messages, reinforcing it as an effective platform for personalized customer communication.
6. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows users to create profiles, connect with other professionals, and search for jobs. According to Statista, the global number of LinkedIn users was forecast to grow from 2024 to 2027, adding 82.6 million new members (+11.07 percent). That would take the total number of active LinkedIn accounts to 828.43 million in 2027 – a new high mark following five consecutive years with rising membership numbers.
Highlighting the reasons why businesses should utilize LinkedIn:
- Professional Demographic: LinkedIn's user base consists predominantly of professionals and businesses, making it an ideal platform to connect with potential customers, employees, business partners, and investors.
- Business Networking: LinkedIn is designed for business networking. It is a valuable tool for fostering professional relationships, nurturing leads, and building a company's brand reputation.
- Rich Content Sharing: LinkedIn allows businesses to share a variety of content like articles, images, slides, and videos, which can be effective for showcasing product/service capabilities and sharing industry insights.
- Advanced Targeting Features: LinkedIn's ad platform provides several targeting options like job title, function, industry, company size, and more. This advanced feature enables businesses to reach the exact audience they intend to market to.
- Insightful Analytics: LinkedIn provides comprehensive analytics on post engagements and follower demographics. This data aids businesses in understanding their audience better and adjusting their content strategy accordingly.
- LinkedIn Groups: These can be a forum for businesses to discuss industry-related topics, share expertise, and engage with potential customers.
LinkedIn continues to be a vital social media tool for businesses looking to connect with other companies or individuals.
7. X (Twitter)
X, a powerful social networking platform, has about 415 million monthly active users worldwide. The platform is recognized for its 280-character messages (tweets), which can reflect real-time news, updates, opinions, and conversations.
Here are the reasons why businesses should consider using Twitter:
- Real-Time Communication: The fast-paced nature of Twitter makes it a dynamic platform for companies to communicate important updates, announcements, and industry news with their audience in real-time.
- Brand Building: Businesses can curate their brand image and highlight their values by sharing relevant content, engaging in topical conversations, and interacting with users on Twitter.
- Customer Support: Many companies use Twitter as an efficient customer support channel, addressing user concerns and inquiries publicly or through direct messages, which can boost brand reputation and customer satisfaction.
- Public Relations: Twitter's interactive format lets businesses directly connect with influencers, media, and industry leaders. This platform can also be utilized for crisis communication by providing timely updates and addressing concerns.
- Market Insights: The conversational nature of Twitter helps businesses gather insights about market trends, competitors, and customer opinions. Analyzing this data can help companies make informed business decisions.
- Advertising: Twitter Ads allow businesses to promote their tweets and reach a larger audience. Advanced targeting and ad formats optimize these marketing campaigns, such as promoted tweets, sponsored trends, and promoted accounts.
8. Pinterest
As of 2023, Pinterest remains a major visual discovery engine for businesses, boasting over 96 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the United States and Canada. Distinctively, the platform is especially popular among women, with over 65% of Pinterest users globally being female.
Its influence on user purchasing behavior particularly sets Pinterest apart for businesses. Over 90% of Pinners report finding inspiration to take action from Pins, such as buying products or trying recipes. Additionally, Pinterest experiences remarkably high conversion rates, with one in five clicks on product Pins leading to a sale.
Moreover, businesses can effectively leverage Pinterest's advertising platform. Comprising promotional Pins and interest-based user targeting, Pinterest allows companies to reach potential customers more effectively. Advertisers can craft focused, efficient campaigns by incorporating Pinterest's data insights and targeting options.
Pinterest’s extensive user base, visually engaging features, high conversion rates, and potent advertising tools offer considerable opportunities for businesses to reach a primarily female audience, inspire product discoveries, and drive action.
9. Snapchat
Snapchat remains a vital multimedia messaging app focused predominantly on a younger demographic. The platform, developed by Snap Inc., boasts a user base primarily consisting of young adults and teens, with 64% of its monthly active users being 18-34 years old
With 406 million daily active users worldwide, up from 397 million in the second quarter of 2023, it is a hive of youthful activity.
Snapchat's unique selling point emphasizes ephemeral, or temporary, content. Users can send pictures, videos, and text messages, called "Snaps," which disappear once viewed. Beyond just messaging, the app offers playful and interactive features like filters, lenses, and augmented reality features.
High user engagement is a crucial strength of Snapchat. The app is used for chatting and sharing moments in their day-to-day lives. This level of personal engagement makes it a prime platform for businesses to reach and resonate with a younger audience.
For businesses, Snapchat also offers a suite of advertising tools. These include Snap Ads, Sponsored Lenses, Geofilters, and Story Ads. Businesses can use these tools to create immersive ad experiences tailored to their target audience.
10. TikTok
Known for its user-friendly interface, the platform is designed for creating, editing, and sharing short videos. The videos can be enhanced with various creative tools, including filters, stickers, and augmented reality features. Users can also add background music and sound clips to their creations, contributing to the viral dance challenges and lip-sync videos the platform is famous for.
However, TikTok didn't always hold the influential position it occupies today. Its surge in global popularity is credited to its merger with Musical.ly, a platform that had carved out a niche in teenaged internet culture.
Beyond being simply a platform for viral internet culture, TikTok has become a powerful marketing tool. Through in-app adverts, brand partnerships, influencer collaborations, and branded content, businesses can access TikTok's vast user base.
Given the social, interactive nature of the platform, its users tend to be highly engaged, granting businesses ample opportunity to create meaningful and engaging connections with their audience.
11. Reddit
With an impressive count of approximately 1.7 billion visits as of April 2023, Reddit forms a dominant artery in the internet world. It's often referred to as the "front page of the internet" due to its brilliant blend of current affairs, distinctive "ask me anything" (AMA) celebrity sessions, and deep dives into countless niche subjects.
In the six months ending April 2023, traffic to Reddit from the United States was 47.89 percent of all traffic to other countries during that period
The platform hosts a vast array of subreddits, or dedicated forums, that stretch over various interests, hobbies, professions, and more. Each subreddit has its unique level of user involvement, providing a platform for your brand to immerse within a vibrant community closely related to your field. If, for instance, you run a book publishing company, you might find a welcoming home in r/books.
Beyond just creating and sharing content on Reddit, the platform also serves as a potent content ideation source and provides advertising opportunities. The insights from understanding trending topics, robust discussions, or commonly asked questions can fuel your content strategy.
Plus, Reddit also offers advertising options that let you target your ads to specific user groups, aligning well with your marketing objectives and effectively reaching your desired audience.
Reddit's unique structure and vibrant community make it an ideal landscape for businesses looking to understand their audience better, expand their reach, build deeper relationships, and, ultimately, amplify their brand presence in the digital realm.
12. Quora
Quora has exhibited impressive growth, boasting over 300 million monthly active users. This immense user base evidences the vibrancy of Quora's intellectual community and underscores its significant potential for businesses aiming to expand their digital reach.
For businesses, Quora allows them to exhibit their industry acumen, produce insightful responses, and establish themselves as thought leaders within their respective fields. This allows businesses to gain credibility and better visibility among their target audience, boosting their brand reputation.
Moreover, the diverse and highly engaged user base ensures a vast reach, opening up broader customer targeting opportunities. Tuning in to relevant questions on Quora can also aid businesses in better understanding their audience, uncovering their pain points, and craft strategies that cater effectively to their needs.
13. Telegram
Similar to Quora, Telegram has experienced an explosive surge in its popularity, with over 800 million monthly active users reported recently. This large and still burgeoning user base reflects the lively community on Telegram and points to a sizeable potential for businesses seeking to enhance their digital footprint.
Telegram provides businesses with a unique platform to communicate their messages, share updates, or engage with their audience in a more direct and seamless manner. Businesses can create channels or groups to keep their community informed or respond to inquiries, respectively. This helps organizations establish a more personal connection and build trust with their customer base.
The vast and multicultural user base of Telegram ensures a broad and global reach. This offers businesses massive customer targeting opportunities across different regions and demographics.
Furthermore, Telegram’s features like polls or chat threads can serve as an incredible tool for businesses to tune in to their audience’s opinions, interests, or concerns, and adapt their strategies for better alignment with their customer expectations.
14. Discord
Discord has made significant strides in user growth, now boasting over 190 million monthly active users worldwide. This substantial user base highlights Discord's engaged and dynamic communities and marks its vast potential for businesses looking to broaden their digital reach.
For businesses and organizations, Discord offers an opportunity to create a private server, a dedicated space for interactions with their targeted audience. This platform can be used to share updates, host discussions, provide customer support, or create a vibrant community around a product or service.
One of Discord's key strengths is the real-time interaction it offers, allowing for the active engagement of users. Businesses can set up Q&A sessions, host live podcasts, or share exclusive previews, establishing a closer and more personal relationship with their followers.
Moreover, Discord's user base is diverse and highly engaged, ensuring a wide reach and opening up expansive customer targeting opportunities.
15. Twitch
Twitch, a leading live streaming platform, primarily known for video game broadcasts, boasts over 140 million monthly active users. This staggering user base emphasizes its vibrant and interactive community and highlights its considerable potential for businesses aiming to widen their digital influence.
For businesses and brands, Twitch presents vast opportunities for engaging audiences in real time. Businesses can use live streams to introduce new products, demonstrate how they work, discuss industry trends, or host Q&A sessions with their audiences, all of which help foster direct interaction and strengthen relationships.
The active and passionate community on Twitch ensures a wide reach, opening up ample opportunities for customer targeting, especially within the younger demographics that constitute a large part of the platform's user base.
Brands can also dovetail their marketing efforts with engaging content like game streams, talk shows, or creative coding sessions to promote their offerings organically within the community.
Subsequently, paying careful attention to the trends and interests of the Twitch community can assist businesses in comprehending audience preferences, highlighting potential areas of growth, and tailoring their strategies effectively.
Choose the Perfect Social Media Platform
In conclusion, selecting the perfect social media platform for your business is vital in harnessing the potential of digital marketing and achieving your brand's objectives. With the abundance of social media platforms available, it is crucial to carefully assess each platform's features, user demographics, and engagement focus.
Begin by examining your target audience, their preferences, and what resonates with them. Understand your brand's unique selling points and determine which platforms align best with your business's identity and goals. Additionally, study the type of content that thrive on each platform, ensuring that your choice aligns with the content your brand is adept at creating.
Rather than juggling multiple platforms, prioritize those that align closely with your brand and audience. Maintaining a consistent presence on a few well-chosen platforms can yield higher engagement and returns than a diluted presence across numerous channels.
To ease your process, use Highperformr's social media management tools to curate and schedule content for your chosen platforms. This will help you maintain a strong presence across multiple channels without sacrificing the quality of your content or over-saturating users with repetitive posts.
