Influencer Marketing in Asia: An Interview with Aaron Brooks
Aaron Brooks
April 21, 2017
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A few decades ago, there were only a handful to choose from, with Facebook being a forerunner when it was created back in 2004.
Now, there are dozens of social media sites on offer. It pays to do your research and focus on the ones that will work best for your brand.
A social media platform or site is a website or app, such as Facebook or Instagram, that allows users to take part in social networking. You can share thoughts, ideas, and interests by creating content, sharing it, commenting on other users’ content, and reposting.
The first ever social media platform was invented by Andrew Weinreich in 1997. It was called SixDegrees.com and it introduced a million people to social networking. It was a short-lived experiment because few people had adequate internet facilities to use the platform effectively.
According to Hootsuite’s Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, the most popular social media platforms include Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Facebook continues to be the most well-known social media platform worldwide, with 2.9 billion active users per month. Despite its vast user base, when users aged 16 to 64 were asked about their favorite platform, WhatsApp emerged as the top choice for 15.7% of respondents. Instagram followed closely with 14.8%, and Facebook itself was preferred by 14.5% of users.
WhatsApp’s popularity highlights its importance as a messaging and communication tool across different age groups. Instagram remains a favorite due to its focus on visual content and user engagement features. Meanwhile, Facebook, while slightly behind in terms of user preference, still commands a massive audience.
Twitter, now known as X, has seen a decline in its user preference, with only 3.3% of users naming it their favorite platform. This is a significant drop for a platform that started in 2006 as a microblogging site with a 140-character limit and has since evolved to include photo and video sharing. Despite these changes, it maintains around 330 million active monthly users, a figure that held steady at the time of Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition.
LinkedIn remains the top platform for professional networking, boasting over 774 million registered users. It is widely used for connecting with industry peers and exploring job opportunities.
YouTube stands out with more than 2 billion visits per month, making it the second-largest search engine after Google. Users spend an average of 23.7 hours per month on YouTube, more time than on any other social media platform, reflecting its dominant role in video content consumption.
All these platforms offer brands opportunities for promoted posts and ads, making them essential tools for digital marketing strategies.
Makeawebsitehub.com has identified more than 100 social media sites with new ones appearing regularly. Some disappear without a trace, while others can grow dramatically.
For example, you might not have heard of Mastodon before Elon Musk bought Twitter, but social media users are now flocking to it. Hive is another Twitter alternative that’s growing in popularity.
These are the social media platforms that SproutSocial identifies as those that brands and consumers are most likely to populate in the next year.
According to Buffer, the 10 best-known social media platforms for brands are as follows, ranked by their monthly active users or MAU. (LinkedIn isn’t included as it’s considered a professional networking site.)
Here’s a comprehensive list of 50 global social media platforms that brands should know about:
There are five types of social media platform. They are:
According to Statistica, the top five social media sites in 2022 were:
Social Media.co.uk ranked the top five social media sites for 2021 as follows:
(In 2022, Twitter was knocked off the 5th spot by WeChat)
When planning your social media strategy, it’s important to consider the demographics of each platform. For example, if you’re marketing to teens, you’ll most likely get better results on TikTok than you would on Facebook, which attracts an older audience.
Similarly, the gender you’re targeting may play a role in the platforms you prioritise. For example, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn have a relatively even split between male and female.
However, TikTok and Pinterest have a much larger lean towards female, whilst Twitter and YouTube have more male users. All of these types of demographic differences can play a key role when approaching your social media strategy.
Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. It was founded in 2004 and went public in 2012. The parent company, Meta, also owns WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
The biggest demographic on Facebook is males aged between 25 and 34.
It’s fallen out of fashion with younger users and only 2.4% of females aged 13 to 17 use the platform, along with 3.2% of males in the same age group.
Most users connect to Facebook via the mobile app.
A Facebook for business page will allow you to connect with your customers and receive private messages on Facebook Messenger. You can also utilise the Insights, which will tell you the gender, age, and location of users interacting with your page.
With so many platforms on offer, choosing the right ones can feel daunting when planning your social media strategy. Find out how other brands have used Vamp to create winning campaigns.
We’re an official TikTok marketing partner and can help your business create a killer social media plan by connecting you with creators and simplifying the collaboration process. Get started today.
To measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns, brands should use key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), reach and impressions, follower growth, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion rates.
Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and third-party platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social can provide detailed analytics. Additionally, tracking specific campaign goals, such as lead generation or sales, can help in assessing the return on investment (ROI) of social media efforts.
Emerging trends in social media marketing include the rise of short-form video content, such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, and the increasing importance of authenticity and user-generated content. Brands are also leveraging influencer partnerships and exploring augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences.
Social commerce is growing, with more platforms offering direct shopping features. Personalization and data-driven marketing are becoming crucial for targeting specific audiences and enhancing user engagement.
Different demographic groups use social media platforms in varied ways. For instance, younger audiences favor TikTok and Instagram, while older demographics are more active on Facebook. To tailor content effectively, brands should conduct demographic research and use platform analytics to understand user behavior.
Content should be customized in terms of language, style, and format to resonate with each demographic. For example, brands targeting Gen Z might use memes and short videos, while content for older adults could be more informative and detailed.
