11 Best Social Media Apps for Marketers in 2022
11 Best Social Media Apps for Marketers in 2022 Skip to content Blog Get My Free Trial Strategy Facebook
Monthly active users: 2.9 billion Key Features: Facebook Business Page Facebook Ads Essential Stats: 18.2% of adults in the US made a purchase through Facebook last year. 66% of Facebook users visit a local business page at least once a week Facebook is not only the world’s largest social network, it’s also the most developed channel for organic and paid social marketing. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, family, and news using various forms of shared content (everything from written updates to live video and ephemeral Facebook Stories.) Brands who maintain a presence on the platform might use organic content for brand awareness, and/or relationship nurturing through social customer service. Marketers can also tap Facebook’s user data to reach new customers with relevant advertising. Most recently, Facebook is prioritizing e-commerce shopping via Facebook Shops. Source: Ink Meets Paper Want more detail? Our complete introduction to Facebook marketing is over here.Instagram
Monthly active users: 1.22 billion Key Features: Instagram Carousels Instagram Ads Essential Stats: On average Instagram business accounts see 1.69% follower growth each month 44% of users shop on Instagram weekly Formerly a humble photo-sharing app, over the past few years Instagram has become one of the world’s most important social apps in regard to social commerce. Alongside astrology memes and latte art, Instagram’s become a virtual shopping mall, with a plethora of features designed to help businesses sell products—preferably beautiful ones. While the importance of a polished feed has shifted with the rise of ephemeral, live, and video content (a.k.a. Stories, Reels, Instagram Live, and Instagram Video), brands should keep in mind that a strong visual identity is always key on Instagram. Source: @iittala Consumer brands especially should take note of Instagram for its shoppable posts and Stories, as well as its powerful back-end for targeted ads. The platform demands as much art as science, so start with our step-by-step guide to Instagram marketing here.WhatsApp
Monthly active users: 2.0 billion Key Features: WhatsApp Business App Quick Replies Essential Stats: 58% of WhatsApp users use the app more than once each day An estimated $300 million USD in revenue was generated in WhatsApp in 2021 WhatsApp is the #3 social app on the list by user base, but it’s the #1 messaging app in the world. In fact, it was recently voted to be the world’s favourite social media app (though the survey excluded users in China.) Source: Digital 2022 April Global Statshot Report This might be news to a lot of North Americans, but WhatsApp is one of the world’s foremost social media apps. Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion, and it has remained, more or less, a straight-up messaging and calling app. (And ad-free, unlike Facebook Messenger.) Every day, 175 million users in 180 countries message one of the 50 million businesses on WhatsApp. For those businesses, WhatsApp’s most appealing functions include streamlining customer service conversations and showcasing products in a catalog (essentially a digital storefront akin to Facebook Shop, though users must still leave the app to make purchases). However, Facebook recently announced that brands using WhatsApp Business App will be able to more easily create Facebook and Instagram ads that allow users to “click to WhatsApp” in order to initiate conversations on the app. For brands whose customers are already on the app, using WhatsApp for business may well make sense.WeChat
Monthly active users: 1.22 billion Key Features: WeChat Pay WeChat Groups Essential Stats: 90% of China’s population use WeChat Over half of all WeChat users in China are under 30 years old The first non-North American app on this list is Tencent’s WeChat (or Weixin, in China). Because American social media sites are restricted in China, the country has its own flourishing social ecology. WeChat is the dominant social network in China, but this super social media app goes beyond messaging. Users can message, video call, shop using WeChat Pay, use government services, call rideshares, play games—you name it. According to one survey, 73% of respondents in China had used WeChat in the past month. In late 2020, 88% of American businesses doing business in China said that Donald Trump’s plan to ban WeChat would have a negative impact on their operations, and 42% predicted they’d lose revenue if the ban went through. (It didn’t.) For businesses looking to expand their efforts in China, looking into WeChat marketing—whether that’s advertising, influencer campaigns, in-app e-commerce, or building out a mini-app within WeChat—will be an important step. Pro Tip: Hootsuite’s WeChat app will help you integrate your WeChat strategy into your team’s daily workflow.Twitter
Monthly active users: 436 million Key Features: Twitter Revue/Newsletter Twitter Spotlight Essential Stats: 54% of Twitter’s audience will likely purchase new products Twitter’s CPM is the lowest out of all the major platforms Given its fairly small user base, Twitter has impressive name recognition—90% of Americans have heard of Twitter, though only 21% use it. That, combined with an active population of politicians, journalists, celebrities, and comedians, keeps the platform punching above its weight, especially in North America (and Japan, where it’s the #1 platform.) How can brands use Twitter? Organic Twitter marketing will depend on your brand voice, but there’s plenty of room for personality (American fast food brands regularly bicker with each other). Customer service is also an important opportunity. And of course, Twitter offers an ad platform for brands to target their audiences.Pinterest
Monthly active users: 442 million Key Features: Story Pins Try On Pins Essential Stats: Pinterest’s userbase is 76.7% female 75% of weekly Pinterest users are shopping on the platform Pinterest—the digital vision board app—has been experiencing notable user growth through the pandemic. For instance, their popularity outside of America was up 46% in 2020. Pinterest has a reputation as a positive, apolitical, moderated space for brands to advertise to people planning out life events. 92% of advertisers on Pinterest agree that it has the most positive reputation of any social media app. Advertising on Pinterest, as with most of the other platforms on this list, is headed towards e-commerce. Shoppable ads are now on the menu in select countries in Europe and North America. Here’s a longer overview on using Pinterest for business.LinkedIn
Members: 756 million* Key Features: LinkedIn Company Page LinkedIn Live Events Essential Stats: 25% of all American adults use LinkedIn 22% of those use it every single day. *First, let us note that LinkedIn hasn’t reported monthly or daily active users (just the number of accounts—a potentially vastly different number) since Microsoft bought it in 2016. That said, LinkedIn has been a bit of a dark-horse social platform these past few years. It has experienced rising popularity as users and brands have realized that the only social media site dedicated to professionals is more than just a job board. More than half of marketers say they’re planning to use LinkedIn in 2022. For brands with a professional audience—especially B2B marketers focused on lead generation—a LinkedIn marketing strategy is key. Organic content, including LinkedIn Live and the platform’s new product pages, is increasingly big on LinkedIn, with 96% of B2B marketers reporting that they use these features. Likewise, 80% report they use LinkedIn ads, which include sponsored direct messages.