Social Network or Dedicated Platform ?

Are you building a home on rented land or moving all your belongings to a hotel room?

The answer is clear: No, you wouldn't do that because you want to create something permanent in a non-permanent place where everything can change at any moment.

Can this same concept be applied to creating a community for your customers or members on social media? We think so.

Social media is a significant part of any organizational strategy. However, communities built on social media platforms and on platforms designed for community have different goals, behaviors, and experiences for customers, partners, or members.

Some organizations choose to build their community through social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn because they are free and easy to set up. For some, this can be a suitable short-term solution. But if member engagement is a top priority for you, maintaining a key performance metric is crucial, and your members rely on organizational support and each other for success in their businesses.

When deciding between a public social network or a private online community, your choice should be based on how they compare. We're here to help you make the best decision for your organization's needs.

The advantages of creating your own community on a dedicated platform

More interaction with customers/members: Creating a community on social media is not easy. You can try to engage your customers or members, but others are also present there. Common distractions on social media can divert your audience from meaningful interaction with your content.

But with a dedicated community platform...

You are creating a specialized space for customers and members to connect with you. A social platform fosters a two-way conversation between you and your customer, donor, or member. Hence, the engagement rates in online communities are much higher. For those active on social media, the average interaction rate ranges from 0.05% to 5% of their total followers. In comparison, almost 50% of online community members are actively engaged.

More interaction among customers/members: In many cases, modern customers are looking for tips, recommendations, and support they can get from each other. However, often, conversations on social networks with the brand, compared to member-to-member interactions, are very one-on-one. Moreover, your customers or members may not even know each other.

But with a dedicated community platform...

In an online community, you provide a dedicated space for investment and growth for your members or customers. They can network, solve problems, grow professionally, arrange partnerships, make friends, and succeed.

Data Security for Members:

Bringing together valuable data from your customers or members creates a strong sense of community around your industry. However, if you create your community on social media, you may risk losing it. Losing industry-specific data is not ideal. Users need to know that their data is secure with you. Can you ensure security on a public social media platform?

But with a dedicated community platform...

You own your data and can keep members' data private. To showcase content relevant to your members, you can look into different behavioral patterns. You can make business decisions based on customer and member data, from product roadmaps to messaging.

Revenue Opportunities:

In social media platforms, your members are obligated to see advertisements, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that someone else receives the advertising revenue. Let's be real: Google and Facebook dominate the majority of the advertising market. Why send potential traffic and advertising revenue elsewhere when you can bring that traffic and potential revenue to your own site?

But with a dedicated community platform...

If you have control over the platform, advertising can be a great way to boost revenue for your communities or organization. If your members are going to see advertisements, you can ensure that you benefit from it, and you can choose what gets advertised.

Increased Entry Points:

If your community is hosted on an unrelated and brandless platform, having relevant content in that community doesn't help optimize your website for search or raise awareness about your brand. Plus, you miss out on organic entry points through search.

But with a dedicated community platform...

As your community members generate content, SEO improves. Wouldn't you prefer to bring the entry points to your website, so that they learn more about your communities or organizations through downloaded content?

Easier Management:

Social media communities like Facebook groups or LinkedIn don't provide many community management tools. For example, if a customer doesn't renew or a membership lapses, you have to manually review and remove them from your group - no automation.

But with a dedicated community platform...

You have maximum control over your community's structure and management. Most online customer or member communities have multiple sub-communities with access based on their data. This allows for permission settings to be dynamically managed in real-time based on customer or member data. Additionally, community managers can use in-built moderation tools to address inappropriate content or behavior in line with their community's governance policies.

User Experience Control:

What if Facebook decides to change its appearance overnight? Well, your community changes too. Any change in user experience on social media platforms is under the control of that platform.

But with a dedicated community platform...

With a community you buy or build, you (to some extent) get to choose their experience. You have control behind the scenes and can explain why changes were made.

Branding:

Social media platforms usually have one or two images that you can customize to align with your brand.

But with a dedicated community platform...

You can align the design and branding of your website and ensure everything is consistent. Let your community serve the goals of your organization.

Content Personalization:

On social media, your community competes with personal and professional content for your audience's attention. You can buy targeted ads, but they cost you, and there's no guarantee that you'll reach your ideal customer base. Not all your customers are active on social media platforms.

But with a dedicated community platform...

Content and discussions become more relevant and centralized. Your customers come directly to your community because they know and trust your content. Plus, through personalization, you make them feel welcomed and seen.

Our Recommendation:

Choose the platform that suits your needs best. Every social media platform has its place in the world, and within your community. They're all powerful and important tools. The trick is finding the right tool for your business, and it's essential to select the right tool for your community.