Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement-2021
Social media is now not just a place for people to socialize. These virtual networks have also become a center of marketing for brands all around the world. Given the scope social media networks like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer, it’s no surprise. After all, social media platforms are a great way to engage with the target audience and customers directly. So when we look at the Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement, it’s easy to see how the brands are all highly successful ones.
No matter how big or small the brand is, a social media account for promotion is a must. So having a good social media following can be quite beneficial for any brand. The more social media engagement, the better.
So now that we’re on the topic let’s check out the Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement in the world.
1. Netflix
Netflix is the ultimate movie and TV series streaming platform of this generation. They’re a crucial part of today’s culture. Hence, it’s no surprise that they are also leading the top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement. One of the biggest reasons behind their success is their online marketing strategy. Their active presence on social media platforms has ensured a continuous engagement with their audience. Their social media engagement rating is a surprising 90.67%. Their 12 million followers on Twitter and 27 million followers on Instagram are proof of that.
2. NASA
NASA, short for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is the world’s leading provider of space info. NASA’s social media marketing operations thrive, to say the least. When they realized their audience was tired of seeing what space looks like, they released audio files of how space sounds. How cool is that? Therefore, the fact of them having an 84% engagement rate on social media is not surprising. They know what people are interested in, and they don’t fail to give them that. Their position in our Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement is well-deserved.
3. NBA
NBA or National Basketball Association is a North American professional basketball league. It is one of the four most major sports leagues in the USA and Canada. Though basketball is their forte, they’re not lagging behind when it comes to their social media presence. An admirable engagement rate of 82% is not what you would typically expect from a sports league. But that is what makes them so special. The reigning champions LA Lakers generate a whopping 185.6M engagements across many platforms. These platforms mainly include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Their engagement per post and follower growth rates are always on the high.
4. National Geographic
The famous American magazine started its journey in 1888. They quickly rose up to fame thanks to their richly illustrated articles on various geographical regions. Now the National Geographic Society is the innovative leader in many sectors. These include science, history, nature, exploration, and education. But even among all that, they manage to keep up their social media presence. Almost 170 million followers on Instagram is certainly no joke. And they’ve earned it with their flawless audience-catered strategies. That’s why they have an above-average 81.67% social media engagement rating.
5. Premier League
The Premier League is like English soccer’s top-flight. In other words, the top level of the English football league system. Founded in 1992, they currently have 20 clubs in total. It’s common knowledge that the number of soccer fans around the world is quite high. Is that reflected in the Premier League’s social media engagement of 81%? The answer is yes. In fact, their social media engagement skyrocketed by as much as 146% in 2020 despite having fewer posts. Only legends can do that! If we’re talking about club level, Liverpool took the crown in dominating the engagements on all social media. Manchester United, on the other hand, was the most popular club on Facebook.
6. Instagram
Instagram is probably one of the most widely used social media platforms out there at present. You will find few young people who don’t have an account there. Its easy-to-use interface and personalized explore page are what make it users’ favorite. And guess what, they’re quite popular within their own platform as well! With 400 million followers on Instagram, they have a social media engagement rating of 79%. With posts representing people from diverse communities, Instagram wins users’ hearts from all over the world. Definitely one of the most respectable members of our Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement.
7. Nike
“Just do it!”—surely you have heard that slogan. Nike is an American multinational corporation. They design, develop, manufacture, and market footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. Nike’s shoes are famous worldwide for being simple and accessible yet comfortable. What’s more, this famous brand is also one of the best for engaging with its audience on social media. Nike has over 8 million followers on Twitter and over 150 million on Instagram. Though it’s not easy to keep up with them all, Nike still manages to have a wonderful social media engagement rate of 74.33%.
8. Marvel Entertainment
Almost everyone has heard the name of this famous American entertainment company. Our childhoods were filled with imagination because of their comics. Our favorite superheroes came to life through their cinematography. The famous Ironman, Spiderman, Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, X-Men, Deadpool, and so many others were born from Marvel. So their social media popularity is not at all a matter of surprise. They have 11M+ Twitter followers and 57M+ Instagram followers. But that’s not where it ends. Even amidst all that, they manage to keep up their engagement rating at 74%!
9. McDonald’s
Now, who doesn’t want a Happy Meal? When Richard and Maurice McDonald started this fast food restaurant in 1940, little did they know it would soon become one of the most widespread fast-food chains in the world? As of 2019, their revenue is as high as 21.08 billion. Fast food lovers worldwide love to grab fries or hash browns or a cup of iced coffee from there. But what about their social media presence? It’s as top-notch as their delicious food! They have received as much as 70% social media engagement ratings over the years. With their direct and friendly interactions with followers online, this percentage doesn’t come off as a surprise.
10. PlayStation
All gamers have heard the word “PlayStation” for sure. PlayStation is a video game brand consisting of 5 home video game consoles. There is also a media center, an online service, a line of controllers, two handhelds and a phone, as well as multiple magazines. Sony Interactive Entertainment first introduced this amazing multi-product brand. Gamers from different generations worldwide are obsessed with PlayStation consoles. They have good reason to, that’s for sure. But while we do talk about PlayStation’s gaming consoles a lot, we don’t often hear about their social media activities. But guess what? They are always effectively engaging with the gaming community through social media platforms. That’s why they have a great engagement rate of 67.67%.
11. Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee House must be one of the most famous ones ever in this world. However, to quote their own slogan, Starbucks is more than just great coffee. They’re also quite famous for their active social media presence. One can often see them reply to tweets in hilarious ways. They’re always trying to look out for their customers by engaging online. That’s why they have a great social media engagement rate of 66.33%. They have more than 10 million followers on Twitter and more than 17 million on Instagram. And it’s definitely not just because of their coffee!
12. Xbox
If gamers recognize PlayStation, they will also immediately recognize Xbox. Xbox is a famous video gaming brand consisting of five video gaming consoles. The brand also has many fun games and streaming services. Xbox Network is their online service platform, and Xbox Game Studio is their developer’s arm. Microsoft is the owner of Xbox, which is now marketed worldwide. There is a clear craze for Xbox consoles among the current generation of kids. Needless to say, they also love Xbox’s social media presence. With a social media engagement rating of 65.67%, they have proudly made it to the list of Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement.
13. Chanel
When Frank Ocean sang, “I see both sides like Chanel,” he was only spitting facts. Chanel is a French luxury fashion house that started its journey in 1910. The famous couturière Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel is the founder of this rich brand. Chanel focuses on women’s high fashion, ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, and accessories. You normally wouldn’t expect a fashion brand to have a wide social media presence. But Chanel never fails to surprise. Their 13M+ Twitter followers and 47M+ Instagram followers surely love engaging with them. That’s why they have a wonderful 62.33% social media engagement rating.
14. Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto games were the highlight of our teenage years and maybe still are. Rockstar Games is the video gaming company behind the action-adventure GTA series we all love. This American video game publisher started its journey in December 1998. Their games have been famous among the gaming community ever since then. Their Instagram account has 19 million followers, while their Twitter account has over 12. And they’re rocking all the social networking platforms by engaging with their players as well. They have an online engagement rate of 60%, which is pretty rockstar, I’d say.
15. Redbull Global
When someone needs to pull an all-nighter or needs some extra vigor for a big day, what do they do? They grab a bottle of Red Bull energy drink. This famous energy drink is sold by an Austrian company named Red Bull GmBH. Aside from the energy drinks, they are also known for their sponsorship of a range of sporting events and teams. They have a wonderful global marketing strategy that entices audiences with storytelling. And they utilize their social media platforms to the fullest for that. 2 million Twitter followers and 14 million Instagram followers might not seem much compared to others on the list. But their social media engagement rate is still an above-average 57%.
16. Nike Football
Nike makes an appearance on this list for the second time. And this time, it’s specifically about their football-related products. Nike’s football shoes are extremely famous, which is why many of the well-known football players wear them to important matches. As mentioned before, Nike is so popular because of its attention to simplicity and comfort. So seeing them two times in the list of Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement is quite welcome. For those wondering, Nike Football has a 56% social media engagement rate. That’s kicking for sure.
17. SpaceX
As evident from their name, SpaceX designs manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. They conduct space missions to find more and more about the universe that lies outside this planet. Their most recent launch was the Starlink Mission. Despite being a fairly new company built-in 2002, they have already made it to this list of Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement. They’re on YouTube, Linked In, Twitter, Instagram, and Flickr. And they’re quite active in all of them, always engaging with their audience. Their social media engagement rating is 55.67%, not over the moon but still quite up there.
18. Facebook
Facebook might as well have been the pioneer of social media networks. At least the kind of social media network we’re familiar with today. Mark Zuckerberg and some of his Harvard buddies made this SNS site together and launched it in 2004. Facebook’s popularity and usage grew rapidly among millennials. Until it soon became an indispensable part of everyday lives. As of today, there are almost 3 billion Facebook users in the world! And while they’re not too high on this list, they’re still one of the Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement. Their rating is 54.67%
19. KFC
Colonel Sanders in the house! Kentucky Fried Chicken, more commonly known as KFC, is the one-stop place for fast food lovers. This American fast food restaurant chain specializes in one of the best-fried chickens out there. It is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald’s. As of 2019, they have almost 23 thousand locations all over the world. So anyone can understand how popular KFC is. But that’s not why they are on this list. They also have one of the highest social media engagement rates in the world. This rating number is 54%, which quite fingers are lickin’ good.
20. Victoria’s Secret
Here is the last brand in the Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement. Victoria’s Secret is a famous American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer. They are best known for their high visibility marketing and branding. Every year, they start with a popular catalog and end with an annual fashion show. Both are a sight to behold. Victoria’s Secret’s wonderful marketing skills also make them one of the best when it comes to social media engagement. This brand has a 52.67% social media engagement rating.
So here were the Top 20 brands with the highest social media engagement. There’s a small chance you haven’t heard of any one of them. Their marketing strategies can be taken as an example for all companies to do better. The importance of social media engagement in the current age is immense, after all.
Awards criteria and Procedure:
- The ranking was determined by the performance of brands on three major social media platforms i.e Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Compiled list of brands with the largest footprint on these social media platforms using Social Blade, Statista and manually.
- Narrowed down 38 brands to cater for the disparity in performances of brands on different social media platforms.
- Generated separate ranking for each social media platform using point system as follows:
- Ranking criteria for Facebook comprised of:
- Number of followers
- Like rank
- ‘Talking about it’ rank
- Each brand was ranked on each criterion from 1 to 38 and assigned points accordingly. For example, the brand on the top of the list was assigned 38 points, 2nd on the list 37, and so on. The brand at bottom of the list was awarded the minimum points.
For participating in this award category, you can email us at info[at]startingtoknow.com
Branding is the first step of a successful business. If you are working on building your brand then this cannot be avoided.