If you want to practice social media marketing in Pakistan and learn what each social platform can do to reach your target audience, read on. Here’s a complete rundown of some of the world’s biggest and most popular social media apps.

Facebook (Monthly Active Users: 2.9 Billion)

Main features:

• Facebook business page
• Facebook Ads

Key stats:

• Last year, 18.2% of US adults shopped on Facebook.
• 66% of Facebook users visit local business pages at least once a week.

Facebook is not only the world’s largest social network but also the most developed channel for organic as well as paid social marketing. People use Facebook to catch up with friends, and family, and to acquire news using a variety of forms of shared content—everything from written updates to live videos to fleeting Facebook Stories.

Brands on the platform may use organic content for brand awareness and/or relationship-building through social customer service. Marketers can also collect Facebook user data to reach new customers with relevant ads.

Recently, Facebook has been prioritizing e-commerce shopping with Facebook Shops.

YouTube (Monthly Active Users: 2.29 Billion)

Main features:

• YouTube Analytics
• YouTube ads

Key stats:

• 70% of viewers buy from brands they see on YouTube.
• 77% of 15-35-year-olds use YouTube

YouTube isn’t always considered one of the world’s largest social media apps. However, you can easily call it a video platform or the second-largest search engine in the world.

For established brands with big marketing agencies, a YouTube ad that appears before or during the original video is not much different from what you see on TV.

On the other hand, for brands posting original videos and building their own YouTube channel, it’s important to be familiar with YouTube’s algorithm, which takes skill, strategy, budget, and luck.

But there are potential payoffs there, too.

In short, YouTube is for videos (usually long-form videos), so the barrier to entry is a bit higher for DIY marketers who benefit from time, money, and talent (or preferably all three).

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 an 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 aesthetic 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.

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.

Tiktok (Monthly Active Users: 1 Billion)

Main features:

• TikTok Shopping
• TikTok Ads

Key stats:

• Nearly half (43%) of TikTok users are between the ages of 18 and 24.
• TikTok ads reach 1 billion adults each month

TikTok is definitely one of the hottest social media apps on this list. Since it has just appeared in 2017, explosive growth is attracting attention. It was the most downloaded app in 2020.

TikTok is a short video-sharing platform with a unique and addictive algorithm. It has a huge impact on teens and Gen Z.

For example, in the fall of 2020, Instagram was surpassed as the second most popular social platform for teens in America, and now it’s at number one, alongside Snapchat.

For brands, TikTok can be a source of confusion and intimidation. What kind of videos should I post? Do TikTok ads have to be funny? How do you collaborate with TikTok influencers?

Rest assured, if the Washington Post can do it, so can you. Get started with digital marketing services in Pakistan by contacting us at SI Global Solutions. We also provide SEO solutions including Google ad services in Pakistan.

Whatsapp (Monthly Active Users: 2 Billion)

Main features:

• WhatsApp Business App
• Quick replies

Key stats:

• 58% of WhatsApp users use the app at least once a day

WhatsApp is the third largest social app on the list by user base, but the number one messaging app in the world. In fact, it was recently voted the world’s most popular social media app (although Chinese users were left out of the poll).

It is one of the world’s leading social media apps. Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, but WhatsApp remains more or less a messaging and calling app. (Unlike Facebook Messenger, there are no ads).

Every day, 175 million users in 180 countries message one of the 50 million businesses on WhatsApp.

For these companies, some of WhatsApp’s most attractive features include streamlining customer service calls and featuring products in catalogs (basically a digital storefront similar to a Facebook shop, but where users must exit the app to purchase).

However, Facebook recently announced that brands using the WhatsApp Business app will be able to more easily create Facebook and Instagram ads that allow users to “click on WhatsApp” and start a conversation about the app.

For brands whose customers already use the app, using WhatsApp for Business makes sense.

Facebook Messenger (Monthly Active Users: 1.3 Billion)

Main features:

• Messenger Ads
• Instant scan

Key stats:

• 64% expect to be able to reach out to brands for customer service.
• Messenger ads can reach 987.7 million users.

Messenger is next. Another private messaging app for Facebook. Facebook Messenger is part of Facebook’s ongoing strategy to prioritize private messages, and differs from WhatsApp in a few key ways:

• It does not provide users with end-to-end encryption
• Serves various advertisements (including sponsor messages, inbox advertisements, etc.).
• Links the users’ contacts from Instagram and Facebook.

Messenger features such as auto-replies, greetings, and out-of-office messages help make customer relationships more efficient. For some brands, a more complex proposition, such as creating a Facebook Messenger bot, makes sense.

Also Read: Best Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses in 2023