Do you know the population of the world?
It is close to 7.4 Billion at the start of 2016 according to WorldoMeters. What does that have to do with Social Media?
Well, did you ever imagine how big social media would become? Ever wondered what the total social media numbers are on a monthly basis? That number is close to 4.2 Billion.
This only includes the top 8 social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Smaller social sites like StumbleUpon have not been included in this count and have a handy 30 Million monthly active users. Can you now see the power of social media's influence and reach? Obviously this includes users who have accounts and are active on more than one social media networks.
Instead of highlighting just the social media user numbers, here is a fun take on social media user numbers up against the world population. Let's assume the big 8 social sites are all countries and see how they would rank in comparison to countries like India and China.
Can you imagine Facebook will trump both China and India with its huge user volume of 1.5+ Billion?
Here is an infographic that shows Social Media by the numbers with a fun take on the world's population.
If you don't have a Facebook fan page then you are not utilizing Facebook's full potential. Gone are the days where businesses used to advertise in the local yellow pages now they turn to Google AdWords and Facebook ads. Some businesses have mastered the art of Facebook ads so much so they know how to spend pennies in return for dollars in revenue.
YouTube
YouTube is dedicated to video content. More and more people turn to YouTube videos to learn online whether it is how to cook a certain dish, makeup, drawing, fixing a car or even playing a particular sport. YouTube is also known as the 2nd biggest search engine behind Google.
Google +
Google + is a Google product that promises to deliver the best of Twitter and Facebook. Its popularity has been questioned but the numbers say otherwise.
Instagram is a platform for social image sharing. Instagram is meant to be the quickest way to share your camera phone images within your social networks. With the increase in the usage of smart phones, Instagram's popularity has sky-rocketed.
Twitter is the bite-sized network that has a lot of influencers. Attention span and competition are issues with Twitter that marketers are battling with. Using influencer marketing campaigns and providing exceptional content can help cut through the content noise.
Vine
Twitter's video platform specialising in short clips. Entertainment and meme clips are what Vine is mostly used for, although savvy digital marketers are finding other innovative uses for this network.
LinkedIn is known as the only professional social network. Most tech-savvy employers might not even go through a potential employee's curriculum vitae or resume and they might instead look through their LinkedIn profile. It is easy to get recommendations and upvotes for your skills on LinkedIn and employees increasingly prefer digital endorsements to traditional endorsements and verification. In professional industries it is very uncommon to find a person without a LinkedIn profile.
One of the newcomers to the social media race but has seen steady growth over the last few years. Pinterest's unique proposition lies in the fact it is dedicated to visual content. Users can pin any image and share it with their followers who can then click through to the original website. Pinterest provides a rich visual social experience that catches people's attention. Pinterest is less competitive compared to its big siblings but has the potential to deliver steady traffic.
Conclusion
So if you are not using social networks to grow your brand, promote your products and services in a subtle way then you are not using all the ammunition the digital world has provided you with.
If you are not using social media yet; get started now by picking a handful of networks to start with. If you are already using social media try to strengthen your presence and increase your following. Take a cue or two from the big boys and girls in social media to see what they are doing. They most likely have awesome content and sharing them in your network is a good start.