The heat is rarely ever off when it comes to the battle for dominance between social media sites. And in an effort to keep the competition on their toes their weapons of choice are constantly changing. One week it’s an app update, the next week its improved search functionality, and no social networking site worth its salt would rest on its laurels if there was even the slimmest of opportunities to increase engagement.
I have to admit that I’m a bit akin to a magpie when it comes to the new features on social media sites. If there’s something shiny and new on offer, there’s a high chance I’ll be swooping down to take a peak. On the other hand if I don’t deem a new feature worthy enough of my attention there’s an equally high chance I’ll be flying off in search of the next metaphorical worm.
Facebook’s new trending list has got me excited though; I love the idea of catching up on the latest tit bits of gossip and more as I post updates or baulk at another case of ‘smoasting’ or social media boasting.
Read More: Why Brands are Going Native.
But when it comes to who is doing it best in the world of social media, the answer is rarely ever simple. New research by market research firm GlobalWebIndex has proved this.
Think social media and sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are likely to be the first to spring to mind. But while the sites are definitely always on users’ radar it seems that not all have seen their active usage increase.
The top 20 ranking of social platforms that have seen an increase in active usage, according to the research, places Instagram in the top spot (+23%), followed by Reddit (13%), LinkedIn (+9%) Tencent Weibo – a Chinese microblogging site – (9%) and Yammer - a leading enterprise social network - (+8%).
But when it comes to platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, Google+ and more all is definitely not lost. When ranking social platforms by age Tumbler and Instagram seem to have captured the attention of 16-24 year-olds the most (making up 45% and 39% of active users respectively). Further figures show that MySpace (37%), Pinterest (32%), LinkedIn (32%) and Google+ (31%) and Twitter (31%) seem to have a handle on the demographic of active users aged between 25 and 34.
What does all this mean for content marketers? Well essentially the message is know your market and tailor your social media strategy accordingly. The social media landscape is also constantly shifting so it is also important to be aware of where social media sites are in the playing field at any given time. If faces around the office go blank when you throw out the names Orkut or Viadeo you know it’s time to do your research.
