We all know Facebook is the biggest kid on the social block, but which platform has the highest engagement when is comes to users?

We look at a recent infographic from Search Engine Journal that yields some surprising results.

Top dog

Unsurprisingly, Facebook leads the pack by a country mile. Of the platform's 1.28 billion users, a massive 1.15 billion are monthly active users.

What's surprising is who comes next.

G+ gets thumbs up

Google+, that much maligned platform, is in fact the second most active platform on the planet. 

However that comes with a caveat – G+ has over 1 billion registered users – many of them active on other Google products such as Gmail and YouTube.

Keeping this in mind, just a third of G+ users are active.

Bronze

Twitter faces a similar problem with lurkers. Over the platform's 600 million users, just 215 million are monthly active users.

Compare this to Instagram, which has 200 million users and an impressive 150 million monthly active users.

Of Pinterest's 70 million users, 20 million are active on a monthly basis.

Take aways

While every brand should pick platforms and content based on their unique needs, this infographic shows that a bigger fan base doesn't always translate into a bigger return.

With Facebook advertising increasing, marketers might want to explore alternative platforms for a higher return on their social spend.

To find out more visit searchenginejournal.com. 

If you enjoyed this article then subscribe FREE to the twice weekly SMK Digital Bulletin, click here now or visit www.smk.net.au/subscribe.

Also, click here download a FREE SMK Insghts Program. This FREE programs features 131 must-know social stats covering Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Keep on top of the latest social facts and figures relating to usage rates, demographics, spending trends, content performance and best practice benchmarks. A MUST for every marketer!