The differences between social media
and social networking are just about as vast as night and day. 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 Any
Definition
Social media is a way to transmit, or
share information with a broad audience. Everyone has the opportunity to create
and distribute. All you really need is an internet connection and you're off to
the races.
On the other hand, 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
community.
2. Communication
Style
Social media is more akin to a
communication channel. It's a format that delivers a message. Like television,
radio or newspaper, social media isn't a location that you visit. Social media
is simply a system that disseminates information ‘to' others.
With social networking, communication
is two-way. Depending on the topic, subject matter or atmosphere, people
congregate to join others with similar experiences and backgrounds.
Conversations are at the core of social networking and through them
relationships are developed.
3. Return on
Investment
It can be difficult to obtain precise
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. Timely
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.
Because social networking is direct
communication between you and the people that you choose connect with, your
conversations are richer, more purposeful and more personal. Your network
exponentially grows as you meet and get introduced to others.
5. Asking or
Telling
A big no-no on with social media is
skewing or 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
anyone and it can quickly become a PR nightmare if word leaks out about dishonest
practices.
With social networking, you can tell
your peers about your new business or blog and discuss how to make it a
success. The conversations that you create can convert many people into loyal
fans, so it's worth investing the time.
Social media and social networking do
have some overlap, but they really aren't the same thing. Knowing that they're
two separate marketing concepts can make a difference in how you position your
business going forward.
