(An updated post for 2019’s most popular social media sites can be found here.)

What social networking sites do Australians love the most? If you’re thinking about social media marketing for your business, it’s useful to know which platforms your customers use, so you can target your promotions in places where they’re most likely to be seen and shared.

 

It’s getting on for two years since we last gave a rundown of Australia’s favourite social media sites. While overall trends haven’t changed significantly in that time, there are enough exceptions that we really needed a new stats post to keep linking back to.

 

This is what Australia’s social media landscape looks like in 2017, combining the latest data from SocialMediaNews.com.au and the Sensis Social Media Report.

Top 10 social networks in Australia

1. Facebook

 

17,000,000 monthly visitors (unique Australian visitors)

 

Facebook is the world’s most well-known social media site, so it’s no surprise that it comes out on top for Australia too. As the network approaches two billion users worldwide, around 17 million of these are Australians – more than 70% of our population.

 

According to Sensis data, 95% of Australians who use social media sites have an active account on Facebook. It’s also by far the most popular social site for businesses to use, with between 79% and 89% of Australian businesses having a Facebook account.

 

Check out our social media comparison to see what local NSW councils are doing right on Facebook and other major platforms.

 

2. YouTube

 

 

15,100,000 monthly visitors

 

Not far behind Facebook is YouTube. More than 15m Australians watch at least one video on the site every month – more than half the population.

 

Even on other sites like Facebook, videos are one of the most engaging types of content and hold someone’s attention for a long time. Around 41% of large businesses have YouTube accounts featuring their own branded content.

 

See how CSR uses YouTube videos as part of their content marketing activities.

 

3. WordPress.com

 

 

5,100,000 monthly visitors

 

Australia’s favourite CMS is also its third most popular social network, with users following their favourite bloggers or discovering new content and posting comments.

 

If you’re just getting started with your business website, WordPress can host your site or your business blog for free. Find out more about how to get started.

 

4. Instagram

 

 

5,000,000 monthly active visitors

 

Instagram is still Australia’s favourite dedicated image-sharing site, especially among younger people aged 18-29. One in five people has an Instagram account.

 

However, unlike most of the social networks on this list, its user base hasn’t noticeably changed over the last two years. This could see Instagram start to slide down the rankings as it’s overtaken by up-and-coming platforms.

 

If you’re on Instagram or you need to source images for your business blog, read our guide on to how to use images legally.

 

5. Snapchat

 

 

4,000,000 daily visitors

 

The fastest growing social media site/app, usage of Snapchat among social network users increased from 15% to 22% last year. It’s now used by four million Australians – one in six people use the app every day.

 

The ephemeral image and video sharing app appeals mostly to young people under 30, who use it to share visual content that disintegrates shortly after viewing.

 

Snapchat was such an instant smash, Facebook supposedly offered to buy the start-up for $3 billion. Snapchat declined.

 

6. LinkedIn

 

 

4,000,000 monthly visitors

 

Often described as a Facebook for professionals, LinkedIn falls just short of the top five. More than half of medium and large sized businesses use the network, according to Sensis. Its users are also more likely to be male, aged 30-64, working full-time and earning above-average income.

 

The site is steadily attracting more Australian users every year (up from 3.6m in 2015), although the proportion of Australians who use social media and also have a LinkedIn account is decreasing – from 28% in 2015 to 24% in 2016.

 

LinkedIn allows you to keep in touch with former colleagues, build business networks and share industry updates.

 

7. Tumblr

 

 

3,900,000 monthly visitors

 

Tumblr is still popular with many younger Aussies, but the micro-blogging site has dropped a couple of places and around 400,000 regular users since our last count.

 

Many of the most popular Tumblrs revolve around comics, reaction gifs and film quotes, but some game creators, TV stations and newspapers have had success there too.

 

8. WhatsApp

 

 

3,100,000 active users

 

This versatile instant messenger service is used by over a billion people worldwide, and it’s getting more popular with Australians every year.

 

Facebook bought WhatsApp for a record $22 billion in 2014, but it still can’t compete with the company’s own messaging service. Facebook Messenger is used by around 6.5m Australians on mobile devices – over twice as many as WhatsApp, and over a quarter of the population.

 

9. Twitter

 

 

3,000,000 monthly active users

 

Twitter continues to be less popular locally than it does globally, but the micro-blogging site has seen modest growth in Australia over the past two years – up from 2.8m in mid-2015. 19% of social media users visit Twitter regularly.

 

However, Twitter is also the platform with the highest drop-off rate. More than a third of people who stopped using a social network in 2016 named Twitter among the sites they no longer visited.

 

Twitter is more popular among businesses than the general public, with 43% of medium-sized companies and 61% of large businesses maintaining accounts. 21% of Australian Twitter users follow a brand or business.

 

Read more about how Australian brands use social media.

 

10. TripAdvisor

 

 

2,600,000 monthly visitors

 

Whether they’re checking out a local business or travelling somewhere new, TripAdvisor is a trusted source of information for many Australians. Its user base is also slowly climbing each year.

 

The website’s user-generated content and reviews can offer a more authentic perspective than branded content, but you should still make sure your business is correctly listed to help people find you.

 

Key takeaways

 

Facebook remains the dominant force in Australian social media, but a good content marketing strategy should cover all the relevant bases for your target audience.

 

Visual content (images and video) and instant messaging platforms are the fastest growing segments, especially among young people.

 

Twitter isn’t as popular as most businesses think it is, though it’s still worth having an active account to keep you followers updated.

 

With 80,000 active monthly users, social dinosaur MySpace is more popular than Google+ (60,000 users approx).

 

If you’re new to social media, find out more about how it benefits your business.

 

Statistics compiled by SocialMediaNews.com.au for March 2017. Stats and research provided by the Vivid Social – Social Media Agency. Figures correct as of 31/03/17.