Much as been written about active users on the major Social Media platforms recently. Comments about the seeming decline of Facebook; the rise of Google+ and how they derive their active user count; Twitter the shooting star of Social Media.
There are statistics and opinions all over the interwebs but does it make any difference to you as a brand? Whether you are brand or community manager or in sales and PR: does the potential audience size really matter to you when you are talking about such huge numbers?
The Facts
According to Business Insider, Google+ is actually outpacing Twitter in growth rate but here are the high level stats for the main players.
- Facebook: 701 million active users
- Google+: 359 million ” “
- Twitter: 200+ million ” ” (almost 300 million depending on who’s information you look at)
The reasons behind Google Plus’s growth (it now can boast 359 million active users, up 33 percent from 269 million users at the end of June 2012, according to GlobalWebIndex) are complex and tied to Google’s effort to build a connecting layer across all its services, including search, YouTube, maps and other products. Log into one, and you’ve logged into the lot.
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-plus-is-outpacing-twitter-2013-5#ixzz2UHfjAA4S
So there are big questions marks about how Google+ figures are calculated. So what? Does it matter?
Mobile Usage & Consumption
Mobile usage is growing rapidly but reports indicate, perhaps incorrectly, that certain platforms are losing active users. So if reports of drops in users are unclear as to whether mobile is included or not, is this a concern?
Are the high user numbers too high to make a difference?
With the exception of me probably being the only person that doesn’t get the point of Instagram, I don’t see myself as an abnormal Social Media user. So how does a brand get in the life of a consumer? Not by advertising that’s for sure. Build your relationships, create trust.
How do you manage such high numbers? Obviously you need to be able to target a specific user group or type. Influencers or ambassadors help spread the word of your company. But if a Social Media platform is allegedly losing millions from a user base of a billion (700 million + active) does it make much difference to you?