LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. They are all familiar sights when it comes to social networks. If you ask a sourcer if they’ve utilized one of those tools, chances are pretty slim that you’ll find someone who hasn’t.
But when it comes to the social networks that fall below that level of ubiquitousness, which ones are on the top?
If you’ve paid any attention since the beginning of the year, you probably could have guessed them: Instagram and Pinterest lead the way. And globally, the competition really isn’t close.
Experian Hitwise’s UK division set out to determine which networks had done the best in an era where it has been Facebook and everyone else. And there’s a secret that they have believed these social networks have tapped as well:
The meteoric rise of both Instagram, which allows users to share photos with others through social networks and Pinterest, the online pinboard that allows users to organise and share their interests with others, has resulted in them now featuring in the top 20 social media networks used in Singapore, the UK and North America. Their success can be attributed to the fact that they haven’t tried to be ‘another Facebook’. Instead, they have both identified a gap in the market and used the scale of Facebook to reach consumers.
Indeed, both services have done quite a bit to differentiate themselves completely from an all-encompassing social network. As they also point out, both of these networks are very visual.
Experian Hitwise has a rundown of other popular niche social networks by selected countries including sites like Reddit (which just hosted an Ask Me Anything with US President Barack Obama), Google+, SkillWho, Fanpop and StockTwits.
As many have said (including yours truly), this isn’t an open invitation to start stalking these networks for candidates. Even if you do decide to dip your foot into these new frontiers, it’s easy to forget that the same social media best practices still apply to these new, untamed networks.
Make sure to check out the entire report to get the details on some of the differences across the globe. If you’re looking at honing your social media strategy internationally, it will be worth your time.