The differences between social media and social networking are just about as vast as today and yesterday geez! Indeed, there are some key differences and knowing what they are can help you gain a better understanding on how to leverage them for your brand and business.
1. By Definition
Social Media is a way to share information with a broad audience. Everyone has the opportunity to create and expand. All you really need is an Internet connection and you’re off to the races.
Social Networking is an act of engagement. Groups of people with common interests, or like-minds, associate together on social networking sites and build relationships through their communities.
2. Style of Communication
Social media is more about communication channel. It’s a format that delivers your message. Like tv, radio or mazines, social media isn’t a location that you meet. Social Media is simply a system that disseminates information to others.
Now, with Social Networking communications is a two-ways. Depending on the topic, subject matter or atmosphere, people congregate to join others with similar experiences and backgrounds. A conversation is the core of social networking and its through them relationships are gained.
3. Investment
It can be difficult to obtain numbers for determining the ROI from Social Media. How do you put a numeric value on the buzz and excitement of online conversations about your brand, product or service? This doesn’t mean that ROI is null, it just means that the tactics used to measure are different. For instance, influence, or the depth of conversation and what the conversations are about, can be used to gauge ROI.
Social Networking’s ROI is a bit more obvious. If the overall traffic to your website is on the rise and you’re diligently increasing your social networking base, you probably could attribute the rise in online visitors to your social efforts.
4. Responses
Social Media is hard work and it takes time. You can’t automate individual conversations and unless you’re a well-known and established brand, building a following doesn’t happen overnight. Social Media is definitely a marathon and not a sprint that needs much conditioning.
Social Networking is direct communication between you and the people that you choose connect with, your conversations are richer, more meaningful and more personal. Your network exponentially grows as you meet and get introduced to others.
5. Big No-No’s
A big no-no on with Social Media is manipulating comments, likes, diggs, stumbles or other data, for your own benefit (personal or business). Asking friends, family, co-workers or anyone else to cast a vote just to cast it, doesn’t do anyone much good for you and it can become a PR nightmare if word leaks out about being dishonest.
Social Networking, you can tell your friends, colleagues, etc about your new business or blog and discuss how to make it a success. The conversations that you have can convert many people into trusted fans, so investing the time is worth it.
Social Media and Social Networking do have some similarities, but they really aren’t the same. Knowing that they’re two different marketing concepts can make a difference in how you position yourself or business going forward.
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