Social Networking: It’s Not What It Used to Be

In March of 2006, our newsletter’s feature article highlighted Social Networks and their “increasing role in assisting people to keep in contact with colleagues and acquaintances who share similar interests and may be able to assist with their professional success.” How times have changed.

Social Networks are no longer simply for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues, they are an influential channel for community collaboration. This month’s feature article takes a fresh look at the evolution of social networks and offers insight on how to generate real results in a virtual network.

Previously described as a “growing phenomenon”, Social Networks are certainly still growing, but have crossed over to mainstream business practices. Now, 57% of all online users participate in social networks. Along with Social Networking come terms like Viral Marketing, Web 2.0 and Social Media Marketing, all of which are hot new buzzwords in business. In the context of marketing, they can all work towards the common goal of increasing awareness and driving website traffic. These practices revolve around the concept of creating original content (stories, videos, audio, etc.) through existing social outlets. So what is it that differentiates Social Networking from the rest?

Social Networks are unique in that they serve as a platform for collaboration and thought leadership. Other Social Media such as StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, and YouTube allow for sharing information rather than collaborating with others in the community. Although this may seem like a minute difference in goals, it is very important when choosing platforms on which to participate. All of the Social Media sites can provide important buzz and can drive traffic to your site, but Social Networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook offer the unique ability to spread original ideas to a community of friends and colleagues that are interested in what you have to say.

Social Media Marketing, on the other hand, is an online technique based on the creation of unique content such as video, text, audio, presentations or images through social outlets in order to increase awareness and drive website traffic. This self-replicating viral process is based upon inviting potential prospects to interact, enhance, share, or pass along the content to other prospects in their communities or elsewhere on the Internet, and can obtain dramatic results quickly.

Therefore, Social Networks such as LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, are natural members of the Social Media family because they act as a platform, however, they differ in their focus on a narrower, deferred community of friends and colleagues.

In addition to listening to what others are saying about you and your brand, you should also actively participate in order to get positive results from Social Networking. Be sure to:

• Be open to feedback from peers, even negative comments may open your eyes to a previously unknown issue. One effective way to monitor feedback is through companies like Cymfony (www.cymfony.com) that analyze what consumers are saying about your brand.
• Reach out to the community frequently to keep the conversation alive.
• Include links to your site or other relevant content to get and keep your readers’ attention.
• Use Social Networks in conjunction with other relevant Social Media. The reinforcement here helps to spark interest in your company and reminds visitors to return.
• Be original and truthful in your intentions, anyone can see through a phony profile that’s distorting the conversation. Social Networks are self-policing and deceitful postings are dealt with harshly. What differentiates you from the rest of the community are your original thoughts.

Social Networking requires a different understanding of social outlets in order to gain a strong reputation as a thought leader as well as to promote your brand. The time and energy you put forth will produce great results in the long run while your group of peers continues to grow and share in the conversation.