Social Media v/s Social Networking: Points Of Difference

Social media and social networking appear to be interchangeable terms, but they are useful in different usage contexts. Learn the difference between social media and social networking.

Although the terms social media and social networks appear to be interchangeable, they have different differences. In particular, social media is a platform for disseminating information, while social networking is a platform for communicating with one another. Social media is a communication channel, but the nature of communication in social networking is two-way. Let’s take a deeper look at the difference between social media and social networking.

So what is social media?

It is the use of web-based technology as a medium to interact with a wider audience in general. In this scenario, everyone has the opportunity to create, share, distribute and participate in the content. Some social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Blogs, videos, podcasts, and newsletters are some of the popular content types on the platform.

There are many benefits to using social media;

• It can have many functions to suit the needs of an individual
• There is a lot of buzzes, which means it’s easy to go viral
• Published content can attract engagement
• However, this has some disadvantages;

It However has Cons too

• Since it is not interactive, little or no feedback may be received
• Too much spam content

What is Social Networking?

It aims to build a network, build both business and personal relationships and maintain an interactive environment. In social networking, profiles are created with personal details, and the content is based on the interactions of individuals. Learn new social media marketing terms.

This includes the use of social networking;

• It is possible to get a meaningful feedback
• Build meaningful relationships
• The content received is consistent with the conversation

However, this has some drawbacks;

It can take time to build meaningful relationships and conversations

Similarities between social media and networking

• Both focus on online activity
• Both easily rely on viral marketing to achieve set goals

Social media v/s Social networking: Points of difference

Definition of Social Media vs Social Networking

Social media is the use of web-based technology as an interactive medium, usually with a larger audience. Social networking, on the other hand, aims to build a network, build a business and personal relationships and maintain an interactive environment.

The target group for social media and social networking
While social media does not have a specific target audience, social networking is very specific to the target audience.

Social Media vs Social Networking Goals

While the goal of social media is to create dialogue and discussion, the goal of social networking is to build a network and build relationships.

Communication style

While social media is basically a channel for delivering messages to users, social networking involves two-way communication, thus developing a relationship.

The Content

Content is very important for every aspect of marketing and if you need it for both social media and social networking, the type of content you use for each is different.

In social networking, these are great conversations and questions. As you grow your referral network you are having deep, informative conversations with people who want to start a connection and gain new fans or followers.

When it comes to social media, you are trying to increase engagement and you can’t do that with a 250-word Facebook post. No, you need to post and share pictures, videos, infographics, and other meaningful content to engage your audience and get them interested in your brand.

This is not to say that this type of material is not overlapping, but the way you use the material should be different.

Time and effort

If you are an active brand on social media, you are probably using a tool like Hootsuite or Sprout Social to help you save time and measure the analytics behind your efforts. You can create your own posts and schedule them in the coming days, and then look for engagement.

With social networking, there is no automatic way for relationships to really thrive and you cannot cut corners. Every conversation you make requires special care and attention.

Social networking is like dating - it takes time and it really takes a lot of time and effort to make it work, but in the end, it is worth it.

ROI measurement

In this digital age, every work we do tries to measure ROI, especially from social media.

How you attribute ROI to your social media and social networking‌ should be completely different for both of you. It will be easier to measure ROI from your social networking efforts because there is more direct feedback — if your network of social followers is growing, it is measurable ROI.

But since your whole social media strategy is to create buzz and engagement‌, it can be a little difficult to minimize that kind of revenue. In the long run, you should be able to attribute some kind of success, but it will not be obvious to your social networking game. In fact, if you are running things like sales and you have your own tracking and analytics, it will be easier to measure your ROI.

Overall, social media and social networking are two important marketing strategies, but they each come with their own unique challenges.

Social Media vs Social Networking The Bottom Line

For personal and business purposes, human interaction cannot be ignored. Both social media and social networking can serve to increase interaction between audiences. The choice of whether or not to use social media and social networking ultimately depends on its scope and the goals of the individual.

Hope You find this comparison between social media and social networking helpful. Don’t forget to share and Leave Your comments. Thank You.