Very often, Social Media and Social Networking are used mutually. However, there is a difference. It becomes important for us to understand such differences because only then you can use them with your full passion and positively influence your brand.
If you are thinking of developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, then you need to know what is the difference between why social media and social networking are not equal.
1) Introduction:
Social media: It includes various forms of electronic communication, through which users usually form online communities. In addition, social media is used to share information, personal messages, content such as pictures and videos, ideas, and more. Simply put, social media uses the Internet and mobile technologies to encourage dialogue. Social media allows people to participate in online social networking.
Social networking: Social networks can be online or offline. The term refers to the creation and maintenance of online (maintenance or personal) relationships. Social networking has a social structure and consists of people who share the same interests. In short, social networks are dedicated websites or applications that validate users and encourage them to exchange ideas and information with the help of the Internet.
2) Communication:
Social Media: Videos, user images, infographics, white papers, and so on communicate everything to generate engagement with followers. This is done with the ultimate goal of increasing interactions and encouraging the audience to take the desired call to action (CTA).
Social Networking: This is usually a give-and-take relationship. If the user is part of a community, they will have to post about their brand and talk about themselves to others. Social networking means connecting you with others.
3) End goals:
Social Media: With this, the bottom line is lead generation and data acquisition. This happens with the ultimate goal of increasing sales for eCommerce.
Social Networking: On the other hand, social networking focuses on building and promoting relationships with the audience.
4) Type of content:
Social Media: Users can post anything on social media – from videos, photos, infographics to other content with high utility. The main focus of the content should be to generate interest and discussion from followers.
Social Networking: Generally the quality of the content is rich and includes questions and conversations. The tone is usually informative when forming relationships with others.
5) Efforts needed:
Social Media: With the use of automation, you can easily schedule posts before the brand time and also manage your time effectively.
Social Networking: There is no shortcut to engagement on social networking. To build a relationship, one needs to invest the appropriate time and other resources. It can be said that social networking is time-consuming.
6) Benefits:
Social Media: Although the benefits cannot be observed, it can be said that social media makes it easy for a brand to build its presence online and to interact and attract attention from audiences around the world. Furthermore, since it has many functions, it caters to the needs of different types of people.
Social Networking: Whereas, the purpose of social networking is meaningful interaction and biological feedback. Its purpose is to help the user build long-lasting relationships with their peers.
7) Returns:
Social Media: Success can be measured in terms of increased engagement, increased number of followers, increased sales, and so on. Analytics helps in understanding the type of returns that come on social media. It is important to note that since the goals are different for each brand, the measurement of returns will also be different and may not be as direct.
Social Networking: It usually has a simple answer and it is comparatively easy to calculate returns based on the growth of followers in the user’s social network.
Conclusion for Social Media Vs. Social Networking
We are living in the digital age It is very challenging to maintain a brand in this changing, competitive world without a solid web presence. When the methods and channels of communication develop, one needs to know about brands and their strategies. It should not be forgotten that we live in a dynamic world.
We hope that this article has helped you get a clear idea about both. What are you waiting for? Grow your business effectively with this new information! Thanks for reading and good luck!