12 social networks for your presence online
🕑 Article from : 05 04 2018 - Last update : 27 06 2025
The importance of social networks for your communication is well established. For this first part about to these, we will give an overview of the most important networks. We will then be able to further explore those who best fit your communication strategy.
[His article was originally published in 2018 and updated 2022 and in June 2025 to include the latest software versions and features.]
The 12 website and services we selected for your social network strategy :
1 - Facebook
Originally intended for students, it quickly became a generalist and popular network affecting all generations and all social strata. With more than 3 billions active users monthly (2025), it's the most important social network. 65 millions of business pages and 6 million advertisers use this platform to promote their business.
Facebook accept all type of medias : images, photos, videos, animations, stories, lives, ... it is important to know how to target your audience and how to optimize your ads to be able to be visible in the mass. Today, it is particularly relevant for reaching adult audiences and engaging with local communities.
2 - WeChat, QQ and Qzone
We have grouped together the 3 platforms of the Chinese giant Tercent. QQ like WeChat are both instant messengers and social networks. You can stream your content there: photos, videos, and even listen to music. QQ was launched in 1999 as an instant messenger, Qzone is its social extension where users can develop their profile and post photos and other media. With the arrival of mobile applications, Tercent its owner launched WeChat to complete its offer. Although WeChat is now more popular than its big brother, QQ remains an interesting medium given its still active user base. WeChat is considered to be a medium with great potential for marketing and m-commerce with online payment include.
The first version of QQ dates from February 1999. It's now more than 560 million active users monthly.
Qzone launched in 2005, it now represents 571 million monthly active users.
WeChat dates from January 2011 and represents 1,38 billions active users monthly.
3 - YouTube
Sharing video network, You can create your own channel for your brand, your company or your products. Your videos can be commented and also share in other platform. Youtube is also the most important search engine after Google, so this network is also very important for your SEO. In recent years, YouTube Shorts has emerged as a key format for short vertical videos, helping brands connect quickly with mobile audiences.
YouTube has 2,53 billion users monthly (2025). More than 1 billion hours of video is watched every day on this platform. 50 billions views per day for YouTube Shorts.
4 - Instagram
Instagram is a social network for share your photos and videos. You can create a business account for your company or your brands. So you can promote your products and your brand. You can share your post and reel. The platform also supports direct shopping features, and Instagram posts are now indexed by Google, making caption and hashtag optimization a key part of content strategy
Instagram was launch in October 2010, it's owned by Facebook since 2012. It has 2 billion active users per month in 2025.
5- Threads
Threads is a text-centered social network, designed as a complement to Instagram. You can share short messages, photos or videos, and interact through likes, replies and reposts. Threads is especially popular among creators, brands, and professionals looking for a conversational and less saturated alternative to other platforms.
It was launched by Meta in 2023. As of 2025, it has over 160 million active users, and continues to grow rapidly thanks to its strong integration with Instagram’s audience and algorithm.
6 - Tik Tok
It is the application which progresses the most this last year. A young audience who share short, often musical videos. Large brands like Coca-Cola or others more modest have already experimented with this medium with success. TikTok has also become a powerful search engine and e-commerce platform, where users discover and buy products directly through videos and integrated shopping features
Launched in 2016, Tik-Tok has already 1,7 billion active users per month in 2025.
7 - Sina Weibo
It's a microblogging network, like Twitter. But here,users can also create their own page and post their own information. Weibo combines features similar to Twitter and Facebook, with a strong focus on social interaction and online commerce.
Sina Weibo is born in August 2009, and nowaday it has 584 million active users every month (2025).
8 - Reddit
On Reddit, people can post their links, share, comment, ask questions, and vote for posts. Bookmarks are sorted by categories. You can submit your content, participate in discussions, and promote your brand. It's also a good way to find ideas. The audience of this social network is essentially American.
Reddit it's launched in 2005, in 2025 it's 430 millions active users monthly.
9 - X (ex-Twitter)
It is an instant news network: sports, politics, entertainment, ... You can post your messages (short limited to 280 characters called tweets), but also photos and videos. The tweets are then re-shared (retweeted). Many tools exist to help you to find topics, keywords, find trends, etc ... This makes it a valuable tool for your online marketing.
Twitter it's launched in March 2006, it's now 586 millions active users monthly in 2025.
10 - Pinterest
Pinterest is the social network for finding ideas, discovering new things. The principle is to pin the products, places, ideas ... that interest you. You group your pins by themes on boards. Pinterest privileges the visual. Its potential for e-commerce is very important.
Pinterest was launched in March 2010, it's 553 million active users monthly.
11 - LinkedIn
It is a social network for professionals. With Lindedin, you can find new contacts for your business, get some informations about companies. It is the ideal platform for professional networking, find suppliers, partners, job offers, information about your markets, ... You can create a page with your profile and also a page for you company.
LinkedIn was created in 2003, it's now 1 billion active users monthly. Since 2016, it's owned by Microsoft.
12 - Telegram
Telegram is a messaging and content-sharing platform launched in 2013. You can create public or private channels, join thematic groups, and share messages, photos, videos, or files. Telegram is widely used for community building, brand communication, and broadcasting content to large audiences. It is also known for its strong privacy features and its flexibility through bots and automation tools.
Telegram was launched in 2013, it has now 1 billion active users monthly in 2025.
and more :
Snapchat 750 millions active users per month. 453 millions every days. Most active country : India (208 M), USA (106 M), Pakistan, France.
VKontakte the "russian Facebook" was been launched in 2006, it boasts 94 million active users worldwide in 2025, maintly in Russia.
Tumblr microblogging platform, launched in February 2007. 135 millions users and 618 millions blogs in 2025.
Qzone 571 millions users on mobile, 632 millions in total. Still popular in China for share pictures, musiques and blog.
Baidu Tieba a forum it was been launched in 2003, 1,1 billons user, maintly in China.
Bereal 73,3 monthly actives users, maintly 18-24 years (97% in Brasil).
More with FlexiSite
Social networks will be very useful to optimize your online presence, improve your image, find new customers, .... Of course, you will need to set up a communication strategy, target networks that match to your business. FlexiSite is there to advise you, and provide you with tools that allow you to make the best use of social networks and to make the most of them.