9 Best social media apps in India to consider for your brand in 2022

Social media has sort of exploded since the advent of Facebook in 2004. Back then, there was just Orkut and MySpace. Then came Facebook, followed by Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, and more. Each platform has its advantages and disadvantages. Brands jumped on the social media bandwagon quite quickly. While some brands use Facebook for a lot of inspirational content, for some, Instagram became their primary social network to communicate with their audiences. Since every individual or brand has a preferred social media channel to communicate, it is good to know each of them in detail. Read on to know more about India’s best social media apps.

List of popular social media apps in India: number of daily active users, links

Best social media apps in India

1. Facebook

Now known as Meta, Facebook is one of the world’s most widely used social media apps. Launched in 2004, it began as a simple social network but morphed into this gigantic marketing machine. Facebook can be accessed from any device with an active internet connection, like PCs, tablets, and smartphones. You may post text, pictures, and multimedia which is then shared with other users, your “friends,” or if you have different privacy settings, publicly. Brands are using text to tell stories that audiences are lapping up. Today, brands use Facebook to host events, sell products, announce their product line, create an account around their products, and various other functions. It is no doubt that Facebook has become indispensable for the success of a brand in the digital space. 

2. Instagram

Instagram, also known as Insta, is a photo-sharing platform that has become a multi-level communications platform through which brands and people interact with others. Today, you can share pictures, stories, and reels on Instagram. This picture and video-sharing social networking site was founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger and was later acquired by Facebook, also known as Meta platforms. As an Instagram user, you can upload pictures and short videos, follow others’ feeds or geotag images with location names. Instagram is widespread, especially among influencers who use the app to make a living. Racking up thousands of followers, influencers leverage them to do work for brands. Influencers started from Instagram, and other apps followed. 

3. Snapchat

Snapchat is one of the newer social media apps available today. Snap Inc, based in America, has developed Snapchat as a messaging app and resource. One of the main features of Snapchat is that photos and messages are visible only for a short period. Snapchat has grown from focusing on peer-to-peer photo sharing to featuring user “Stories.” It also has a “Discover” feature, which lets brands show short-form content supported by ads. Snapchat also uses end-to-end encryption, with plans to expand its use. Snapchat is known for showing a new, mobile-first direction for social media. Brands use Snapchat to interact with their audiences. It is very effective and cemented its place among the popular social media apps used by today’s digital population.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social networking site and quite different from other social networking sites since it doesn’t concentrate on pictures and videos and has no “story” feature. This American commerce and job-oriented service are available on the website and mobile app forms. Launched in May 2003, this app is mainly used for white-collar networking and job development. Job hunters can upload their resumes, and employers can post jobs. Since December 2016, LinkedIn has been purchased by Microsoft. 

5. Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging and social networking platform. Users post and interact with “tweets.” The platform also allows users to post, like, or retweet tweets, while unregistered users may read public tweets. Twitter is quite popular among those who like making statements online. Its 280-character limit means not much can be said, but often the limit is enough for the typical Twitter user. Launched in July 2006, Twitter now allows users to share videos or pictures and like the content posted by others. Twitter is popular among all age groups, especially celebrities like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and movie stars and athletes. 

6. WhatsApp

Since the introduction of smartphones, WhatsApp has become highly popular among Indians. Millions of Indians use this messaging platform to keep in touch with their loved ones, forward jokes, get the news, and much more. Another advantage of WhatsApp is that all conversations are encrypted, which means you have total privacy no matter where or when you use this app. Additionally, WhatsApp Messenger is available internationally and supports cross-country communications. Most recently, WhatsApp also launched WhatsApp payments using which clients can send money to each other. 

7. Telegram

Telegram refers to a globally available multi-platform cloud-based instant messaging app. You get encrypted chats, video calling, file sharing, and other features. Telegram appeared as an alternative to WhatsApp when the latter was facing privacy issues. Starting with organisations, Telegram soon became very popular with individual users. Apart from text and voice messages and voice and video calls, users can share unlimited images, documents, locations, audio files, and stickers. Since its launch, Telegram has been racking up the number of users on its platform.

8. Moj

Moj is a social networking service owned by Bangalore-based Mohalla Tech Private Limited. The social media app allows users to create short videos with special effects, emoticons, and stickers, among other things. Moj users can download videos, and the app supports 15 languages. Released almost immediately after the ban of Tiktok, this app had 100 million users in just six months.

9. ShareChat

ShareChat is the leading Indian social media platform that allows users to share their opinions, document their lives, and make new friends in their native language. On a mission to spearhead India’s internet revolution, ShareChat is changing how the next billion users will interact on the internet.

So, these were the top social media apps that you could use. Pick your preferences and use these platforms to make the most of your online presence.