Social media is a great tool that allows brands to stay connected with their audience, but there is no use in spending all of your time, money and effort on a platform that doesn’t even have your audience present.

And what’s one of the best ways to find out where your consumers like to frequent? By taking a look at the numbers, of course!

media update’s Talisa Jansen van Rensburg takes a look at the most popular social media platforms in South Africa and all of the some important stats that go with them.

So, let’s take a look at SA’s most-loved social media platforms:

1. Facebook

According to Napoleon Cat stats, 24 100 000 South Africans made use of Facebook as of August. With 50.4% of the audience being female and 49.6% being male, Facebook is still largely the most-used social media platform in South Africa.

This means that there are great opportunities for brands and influencers to continue getting their audience’s attention on this platform —especially since it is balanced between the two genders. This means that, as a brand or influencer, you can focus on reaching females, males or even both parties on this platform.

Additionally, the age group that is most active on Facebook is 25 to 34 years old, with 17% of them being female and 17.8% being male. This is followed by 18 to 24-year-olds, with the same percentage of female and male users.


2. Facebook Messenger

The next most-used social media platform in South Africa is Facebook Messenger with 21 710 000 users in August, according to Napoleon Cat, which accounts for 36.7% of its entire population. Again, the age group that dominates on this platform are between the ages of 25 and 34, with 17.5% being female and 18% being male.

A great way for brands to connect with audiences found within this platform would be directly through Facebook Messenger.

This can be done by:
  • answering your consumers’ FAQs via personal or automated responses
  • sending reminders or follow-up messages
  • engaging with users who signed up for your Facebook events

Doing these things will allow you to better connect and engage with your following. However, in making use of Facebook messenger, you should also consider that, although you may receive a lot of positive feedback, many consumers might also utilise this platform to complain about your product or service, so be sure to be effective in responding to these issues.


3. LinkedIn

There are still countless brands in South Africa that overlook LinkedIn when it comes to their social media strategy. But considering that there are 8 240 000 South Africans who made use of this platform in August, it might be in your best interest to pay attention to this corporate and business-oriented watering hole.

The biggest age group, again, is between 25 and 35, making up a total of 60.7%, which equates to 5 000 000 people. This means that there are endless opportunities for your brand to reach your audience on LinkedIn.

You can do this in the following ways:
  • Update your business’s LinkedIn profile as often as possible.
  • Keep an eye on LinkedIn’s algorithm to ensure that your strategy remains up to date.
  • Get to know the types of advertising available on the platform to optimise your marketing to its fullest potential.
  • Share exclusive content on your profile to keep your consumers on their toes.
If you want to learn more about how to tap into the LinkedIn market, and reach your audience, then be sure to find out all there is to know about Marketing your business on LinkedIn in 2020.



4. Instagram

Another platform that South Africans love is Instagram, with 5 152 000 users in August. The majority of users on this platform are 18 to 24 and 25 to 34-years-old. Most users are female, and in the age group of 25 to 35, women lead by 80 000, which means that if your target audience includes South African women, then this is definitely the place to be!

Here’s how you might go about targeting this audience:
  • Create themed posts looking specifically at how amazing women are.
  • Hold giveaways where only women can enter or that may only interest women.
  • Give women the opportunity to tell their story on your Instagram page.
  • Promote equality.
Additionally, be sure to go check out these top five South African brands killing it on Instagram:

These South African brands show us the unlimited potential waiting to be unlocked on this platform and, with all of its potential for brands, it might just be the time to start tapping into this market.



What is your go-to social media platform? Be sure to let us know in the comment section. 

Are you loving this type of content? Then why not subscribe to our newsletter?

Still not convinced that Instagram is the place to be? Then be sure to check out these Three reasons why you should place your brand on Instagram.
*Image courtesy of Canva