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In recent years, especially since COVID happened, social media has become the go-to window for growing brands.

The number of people using social media worldwide is expected to grow from 3.6 billion to 4.4 billion in 3 years, which means about half the world's population will soon be scrolling away on social media.

This means using social media to market your products is now more important than ever.

It is always helpful for marketers and business owners to keep tabs on the most popular social media platforms out there. For brands looking to reach their target audiences, the choice of social media platforms is increasing and changing.

So it's imperative for businesses to keep an eye on which way their demographics move.

Keeping tabs on the most popular social media sites doesn't just mean knowing who has the biggest user base, but also knowing who fits your brand image, and which ones are being used by your target audience.

So we did some digging and gathered information about the most popular social media sites in 2022, to help you find the ones that are great for your brand.

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Top 9 Social Media Sites (ranked based on Monthly Active Users)

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1. Facebook

With 2.9 billion MAUs, Facebook is the largest social media site. Over 200 million businesses use Facebook tools, and more than seven million advertisers are actively promoting their business on Facebook.

So it's safe to say you need to get on Facebook if you're planning to use social media marketing for your products.

Almost all formats of content work on Facebook, like images, text, video, and stories- making it pretty easy to get started on Facebook marketing.

Facebook's algorithm prioritizes content that starts meaningful conversations and interactions among users, mainly from friends and family.

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2. YouTube

Coming in at number 2, YouTube is a video-sharing platform with 2.2 monthly active users. Users on YouTube watch over a billion hours' worth of video every day.

If you plan on using video marketing for your products, YouTube is a must for you. Open up your channel, do YouTube SEO or use paid advertising to increase your reach via YouTube.

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3. WhatsApp

Next up is WhatsApp. WhatsApp is a messaging app with about 2 billion monthly active users in over 180 countries. It started as an app for messaging with friends and family, but it's evolved to perform business communications now as well.

WhatsApp lets businesses provide customer support and updates to their customers on their purchases. Small businesses can use the WhatsApp Business app, and larger enterprises can use the WhatsApp Business API.

WhatsApp being the most used messaging tool worldwide, you wouldn't want to miss out on advertising here.

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4. Instagram

Coming in at number 4, we have Instagram. Instagram is a visual microblogging platform that lets you share images, videos, stories, reels, live videos, etc.

You can create an Instagram business profile for your brand. It will provide you with rich analytics on your profile's business activities and reach, as well as let you schedule posts using third-party applications.

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5. WeChat

Released in 2011, WeChat is one of the biggest tech companies in China. Started as a messaging and calling app, it now lets users shop online, pay bills, buy groceries, transfer money, make reservations, book taxis, etc.

WeChat is immensely popular in China and some parts of Asia. If you are planning to market your product in China, you definitely need to consider WeChat since China has banned Facebook and Twitter.

There are lots of WeChat-based influencers in China who can help increase your reach to Chinese customers.

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6. TikTok

Released in 2016, TikTok has seen one of the fastest growths among social media platforms worldwide. It has 1 billion monthly active users and recently topped Google as the most visited website.

TikTok lets you make and share videos that are 15 to 60 seconds long. It also provides lots of filters, sound effects, and music snippets to add to videos and make them more appealing.

Tiktok's users are mostly young people, about 47.4% of TikTok users in the U.S. are aged 10-29. If the target audience for your brand are young people, then you should not miss the opportunity to market your products on TikTok.

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7. Telegram

At number 7, we have Telegram. Telegram is a free messaging app that has no size limits in sharing media files. What sets Telegram apart from other messaging apps is that it provides end-to-end encryption for chats, group chats, and media shared.

After WhatsApp announced changes to its privacy policy that allows them to share data with parent company Meta, users turned to telegram for the advanced security it provides.

Telegram has  550 million monthly active users, making it a platform ripe for your marketing activities. You can use telegram for providing one-on-one customer support or you can use chatbots and telegram channels to send messages to up to 200,000 users.

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8. Snapchat

Next up, we have Snapchat, with 538 million monthly active users. Snapchat lets you share photos and snaps (short videos) between friends.

Although the rise of TikTok and Instagram stories have somewhat thwarted Snapchat's popularity, it is still very popular among teenage users.

So brands with teenage target audiences can consider using Snapchat to increase their reach.

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9.  Twitter

Lastly, we have Twitter with 436 million monthly active users. You can post and share tweets on all kinds of stuff- news, entertainment, sports, politics, etc.

Twitter prioritizes things that are happening and trending in real-time and only gives you 280 characters to write your tweets. Many businesses worldwide use Twitter as a customer service channel, about 80% of social customer service requests land on Twitter.

So you shouldn't underestimate Twitter as a means to your brand growth just because of its' smaller size.

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Final Thoughts on Top Social Media Sites

As the number of social media sites is on the rise, choosing what social media platforms to promote your brand on is very important.

Posting target-focused and high-quality content on some platforms are always better than posting average quality content on every platform. Figure out your target demographic, and see where most of your audiences hang out first.

Then publish content or provide services based on that to maximize your reach and efficiency. Happy Marketing!

Curious about Facebook's new conversion api, and how it can serve you? Then check this out!