The primary purpose of Social Networking is to connect people in the easiest possible way, no matter their physical distance. It is a service we all use nowadays, and it has become the norm in our functioning.
However, the underlying trappings of social networks are numerous, and not all of them are well known. For the sake of our own prosperity and security, we should pay attention to where and how we apply our online activity.
Our Appearance on Social Networks
Finding your place on the internet can be daunting, considering how many people are using it at any given time. Each of us wants to stand out in some way, and the features of the social network we use must be up to the task. Therefore, we always prefer using a social network that enables us to express ourselves just the way we want. And let’s not forget that a social network profile greatly contributes to our identification and presentation when meeting people physically.
“As of 2022, there are 4,65 billion active users of social media – that’s 58.7% of the world’s population.”
Source: Social Networking – StudySmarter
Consequently, businesses also prosper thanks to online presentations on popular social networks. Being seen, acknowledged, and recommended is the bread & butter of every prospective business, and this is best achieved via online presence.
Even if you don’t run a business, your profile on a popular social network is literally promoting your existence. You can be found and in turn, easily find other people, much like accessing yellow pages but with far more engaging descriptions.
But even though public social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others provide engagement opportunities, the sheer number of their users causes fierce competition. Everyone is elbowing for the best visibility, so marketing campaigns are constantly evolving in order to create the most impact on the audience. One of the trappings of advertising is that other businesses can advertise themselves in your own public group/channel/profile and thus steal your clients.
Our presentation on social networks comes down to how well we market ourselves and our businesses and how much of an opportunity those social networks provide in this endeavor.
The Use of Public Social Networks
Picture this setup:
You’re renting a cozy downtown apartment with plenty of amenities, seemingly scot-free. However, the apartment is also under surveillance 24/7 by your landlords. They sell the footage of your activities to various companies, which in turn constantly send targeted salespeople to your door. If you’ve turned your apartment into an office and you’re running a business, numerous other businesses that do the same thing will move in next door and try to snatch away your customers.
This is what having a profile on a public social network is really about.
Realize that you are a commodity. The platform itself uses your data and turns you into a target for worldwide advertising, making your privacy questionable. Public social networks will provide configuration options for you to control your data processing, but they will use your data via various loopholes. You consent to this process by merely being registered on the public platform.
You can also never feel fully secure. Social media channels deal in a vast expanse of valuable information, which is why they are often in danger of security breaches. They take data from you, and then hackers take that data from them while you’re helpless collateral.
How, then, can we control our exposure and attract only the desired attention?
Create Your Own Private Social Network
This is the only way to truly establish your brand, gather the right audience, and prosper in your endeavor. In other words – buy your own apartment complex. Considering the benefits, the investment will prove negligible.
Regain Control
The best thing about having your own social network and establishing your own Community of Users is that it’s truly your own, and only you are in charge.
Your social network is the base for your brand, where you can develop it however you like. Flourish in your sphere of interest without being directly pestered by the competition, as you would be on a public network.
You are the one who decides who can view your content and how. You can make your entire site or parts of your site accessible only via signup if, for example, you wish to charge for membership. In any event, it can serve as an important layer of security.
You can fully customize how your site looks & feels instead of conforming to the limits of a public network. Make it represent your brand exactly how you want and create a comfortable and appealing environment for your users.
No one can advertise themselves on your own platform without your explicit consent – and even if you allow it, you stand to gain from it if you use the right tools.
You are in control of your data. This is an extremely important factor of having your own community, as opposed to limiting yourself to a public network. Many of these networks and media will process and post your content further without additional consent. But if you have your own platform, you truly own all of its content, and no one can distribute it without your conscious approval.
You can link your public network profiles to your own site and thus direct all users to your fold, where they will be safe from unwanted third-party influence. Use public networks for your own gain instead of being used by them.
Grow Your Business Unimpeded
If you’re running a business or you’re planning to start one, having your own private social network is a necessity. Many aspects of your work can be automated, you can build true customer loyalty, and you can define your identity with a unique app.
Facebook Groups vs Your Own Community
The problem with Facebook groups is that there is no way to automatically provide access to your clients, who certainly deserve benefits. Instead, people need to be manually approved by FB group admins, and verification of actual clients is, at the very least troublesome. In a scenario of recurring subscription access, be it membership, licensing, or any other kind of verification, it’s just painful.
In your own community, your clients are automatically recognized, and their access is easily defined. Furthermore, integrations for your online store or service greatly benefit the customer experience, whether your products are physical or digital. You also have the opportunity to create your own learning platform and gather people who want to expand their education in a warm social environment.
The Power of a Community
That said, having a Community alongside your business is an excellent way to boost engagement as well as gain customer loyalty. Nothing can better solidify your place on the web and the market than social proof.
People might come to your site to buy some stuff, but they will keep coming back for the community behind it. When you find like-minded people in your niche, you are inclined to go back to these people. Allow your clients to discuss and eventually recommend your products, both to each other and to new users.
Socialization gives way to word of mouth, which is an invaluable asset for growing your customer base and, consequently, your revenue.
Finally, you can use the very functioning of your own social network as a form of quick support. People can ask questions and get answers from each other, member to member. Aside from boosting engagement, this helpful interaction empowers your users, and it will also allow your own staff to relax and take some of the load off.
Mobile Reach
Nowadays, we use phones as if they’re an extension of our bodies. We need to have ease of access on mobile for as many services as possible, which is why services and media benefit the most from mobile apps.
Establishing your business presence on mobile is extremely important for user engagement and ease of use. You can accomplish this in the best way by creating your own mobile app, which will definitely put you on the map and exponentially increase your popularity. And we all know that the most popular brands also earn the most.
Use The Best Means
If you wish to create a successful and productive environment, WordPress is the way to go. It is undeniably the best base for building your social network, be it a business, a cause, a niche community, or anything else in between.
WordPress is the primary choice because it already comes with 60,000+ free plugins and 10,000+ free themes in its repository – and many more premium ones on top. WordPress is also open source and easily manageable for custom demands, so in case you need something very specific to suit your needs, it’s not hard to find just the perfect solution.
Build Your Private Social Network With PeepSo
PeepSo is a WordPress-based open-source social network builder designed by users – for users, and it provides all the tools to create a rich community or fully expand your business, or both. What makes this builder stand out among others are its three key factors:
- Flexibility – A flexible community builder must conform to your vision, whatever it might be, and PeepSo’s features allow for nearly limitless opportunities.
- Functionality – PeepSo is feature-packed, regularly updated, and fully supported. It also offers a multitude of renowned integrations designed to enhance your experience and increase your revenue in every aspect of your site.
- Affordability – PeepSo is Free. It can be used for community building in itself, and it provides unparalleled features compared to other free plugins of its kind. In turn, PeepSo’s Ultimate Bundles go above and beyond to set you up with a community and/or business home base of the highest quality, all while being cost-effective.
Whichever PeepSo Bundle you choose, you can be sure that you’ll have reliable material to fully build your networking idea just the way you want, whatever it might be. Free yourself from the clutches of public social networks and create your own place under the virtual sky, where you will truly prosper.
