What are the most popular social media sites of 2021? 

Whether you’re looking to launch a new version of your small business app, drive more downloads or just amplify a brand that you’ve worked so hard to establish, there’s no doubt that harnessing the power of social media is the way to go.

Like most things, social media is subject to trends and new innovations, so if you really want to get your messages heard and boost your app visibility, it’s worthwhile keeping your fingers firmly on the social sphere pulse.

In this article, we take a look at the most popular social media sites of 2021 and offer some expert insights on how to utilise these statistics to benefit your own business.

Facebook still dominates

As one of the longest-running and most popular platforms, Facebook continues to top the popularity charts with a whopping 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide.

Although you might think that ploughing all of your resources into this channel alone might be your bests bet, it’s worth remembering that there’s stiff competition on this platform. This means you’ll need to come up with a creative strategy that will help you cut through all of the white noise and get your app noticed.

Video content rising in popularity

Coming in at the number two spot for active monthly users is YouTube. While this proves that video content continues to be well received by global audiences, it's impossible to ignore the soaring popularity of TikTok since it hit our smartphones only five years ago.

With a much younger demographic, Gen Z and younger are consuming content on TikTok in their millions, making it a good place to have a presence if your offering suits this age group.

Instagram holds its own

As a highly visual channel, Instagram continues to hold strong in the social media platform stakes coming in at number 4 with 1.16 billion monthly active users.

Visual content is of course king on this site but, reels and videos are also highly consumed so you have lots of flexibility providing you’re creative. The one thing to remember if you plan to market your app on Instagram is that you’ll need very high quality, eye-catching content.

The no-so-obvious choice

With 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp may not be your immediate choice of social media platform, However, the opportunities for excellent customer service and customer retention benefits make it a useful tool for any business.

With the ability to connect from anywhere in the world without pesky hold music, more and more tech-savvy companies are using WhatsApp to offer superior service to their customers using both chatbots and human employees. It's well worth taking a fresh look at this popular instant messaging platform if you want to supercharge your customer service, especially if your app has an ecommerce function and it’s likely that users may have questions before they make an in-app purchase.