Global Social: Kicking off with 20 Networks to Know in 2012

• Jan 23rd, 2012
• Posted by Lily Croll
• Posted in Global social media, Social Media, Spring Creek Group

When you think about social media, what are the first social networks that come to mind? Facebook? Twitter? YouTube? Google+? For most professionals, those are the foundation for any program- they allow marketers to reach the bulk of their audience and the sites are mature enough that they’re a (relatively) safe investment for time and resources. There are even a brave few who have expanded their social programs to include emerging niche networks like Pinterest, Tumblr and Quora. Especially for those focusing on a U.S.-centric program, a combination of the traditional and emerging sites is more than enough to build a vibrant and engaged social community.

But what about those brands and marketers who want to reach global users on their local market sites? We know the global social environment is just as dynamic and rapidly-evolving as what we see in the U.S.. From giants like Renren and V Kontakte, to regionally entrenched players like Mixi and Nasza Klasa, the market’s simultaneous fragmentation and saturation has further complicated the daunting task of evaluating global sites.

This eBook kicks off a bi-weekly blog series here at Spring Creek where we’ll dig into different facets of the global social landscape. To get us started, we’ve profiled 20 of the largest social networks from around the globe to illustrate how diverse the space is and to spark marketers’ consideration of the quickly changing social landscape. Though this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the global networks, we strive to strike a balance between the massive sites whose glory is fading but still wields power, and the nimble up-and-comers who are threatening (and often succeeding) to steal market share.

The largely unspoken, if often hinted at, challenge to each of these networks is the continued expansion of those foundational sites addressed above. Facebook is the clearest potential giant-killer, as witnessed by its recent win in surpassing Orkut as the most popular social network in Brazil. Facing a similar threat in Japan, Mixi’s recent strategic partnership with Twitter is largely perceived as an attempt to stave off Facebook’s potential growth in that market.

Over the next few months we’ll continue to explore the successes, challenges and innovations the global social landscape faces. We’d love to hear from you if there are certain areas you’d like to explore, or to share your own experiences with these networks.

 Note: Our research is based on publicly available information, in-market third party analyst commentary and, when possible, firsthand experience with the networks. All figures are based off the most widely reported and commonly accepted figures for the end of calendar Q3 2011.