Build Your Own Social Network

There is such a wide array of social networks, but there is one company that pops into everyone’s head when we say Social… well done! You guessed it: Facebook.

I think we all know the benefits of Facebook on a personal level and business level. But why enjoy all of these benefits just on Facebook? Wouldn’t it be great if you could create your own social network?

For me the personal benefits for being on a social network are; it feeds my curiosity, it lets me connect with family and friends, I can post anything I like on my wall, it helps me remember birthdays and it keeps me posted on parties. But also it connects me to my favourite brands and groups providing me with the news I require.

For my business it has benefits too; research shows that a facebook fan spends + $ 71 more on a brand than a not fan, it is a great tool for branding, it enables me to engage with my customers, helps to manage my reputation and of course: it helps me to listen and learn from my customers. Ultimately: creating a better customer experience and increasing sales and commitment.

There are several solutions for creating your own Social Network. Such as Ning, SocialGo and Rsitez. They help you service your community the way that you want; you can make personalised profiles, you can easily send messages, and create subgroups and blend together those people with similar interests. It will enable you to promote your events, to have a real time conversation with your target audience with text and video chat, you can blog, share photos and videos and of course you can white-label so it has your own look and feel.  Almost all the suppliers of do-it-yourself Social Network offer a full Social Media Integration with Facebook and Twitter.

Lets sum up the benefits

• Promote and build a following
• Third party integration to create a hub, and empower the community to build a fan base.
• Inspire connections between activities
• Create a social space for passionate or new fans to talk, share and build excitement.
• Distribute content online to build exclusivity
• Branded Media Players push content out however they do not sacrifice control or look and feel.
• Build long-term relationships with fans
• Collect email addresses and create profiles to learn and connect with fans
• Turn customers into a marketing team
• Empower customers to spread the word and benefit from authentic promotion.
• Build a owned database
• Collect member emails and demographic information to fine-tune target and reach.
• Recognize the best customer
• Online collaboration helps cultivate and enhance other relationship building activities with the most important customers.

Being connected to the established Social Networks will full-fill the basic needs and creates a great opportunity to have a connection with the market place.

But if you want to offer something extra to your target audience and if you have a large fanbase; setting up your own social network might be a good customer-loyalty tool. Just ask your social media agency for advice.