What is social network ?

Social networks are digital platforms where a group of people interact and create among themselves a virtual community.

There are two types: Vertical social networks Also known as specialized social networks. Typically, they are established around a theme. For example, the most known vertical network in the professional field is LinkedIn. Horizontal social networks In a horizontal social network, users are more heterogeneous. The reason is that they are social networks that were not created for a specific type of user. On the other hand, they usually allow communities to be created around different themes. The clearest examples are Facebook and Twitter. For what are the social network good for? Maintain and create contact
Social networks serve mainly to maintain a relationship with the people you already know. In other words, you can maintain a network of followers of your company. A community that will be especially attentive to all your novelties. You can also create new connections. Search information
Social networks are increasingly used to search for information. Many people already only follow the news through Twitter or Facebook. Therefore, social networks can become an alternative communication channel to the traditional ones for your company. Promote
Social networks are a good promotional tool. Whether you have a small blog or if you have a large company, social networks will make more people know you. Well-managed social networks strengthen the reputation of the brand, build trust and give credibility. Networking
Professional social networks allow networking. It's about meeting people who may be potentially useful for your business. In networks you can make the first contact and if managed properly can become a beneficial and lasting relationship for both parties. Increase visits to your website
Your social profiles can send you many visits to your web page. Sharing the content of your website on social networks will give you more information. In short, they will help you improve your organic positioning. Sell ​​products and services
You can also sell on social networks offering your products and services. Keep in mind that social networks are a form of direct marketing with which you can close many sales. The key is to optimize your investment in social networks so that it is worth the effort. Amplify your messages
The speed of propagation and diffusion of content in social networks is very high. This happens especially if you succeed in launching a viral campaign. One of the most used elements is the video. Getting a viral video can be difficult but the impact is brutal. Measure the results
You can measure the impact of your campaigns on social networks practically in real time. This is a very important advantage over other media where results can not be measured with that accuracy. Improve customer service
Social networks are an ideal platform for customer service. They allow users to answer questions and complaints in real time. Yes, if it is managed on a regular basis. What are the most important social networks ? Within social networks, the most popular in Spain is Facebook. It is estimated that almost 9 out of 10 Internet users have an account on Facebook. This year the second place has changed its owner, with Instagram being the second most popular social network. This post has been removed from Twitter which currently occupies the third place. In both cases practically half of Internet users have an account open on any of these platforms. Outside the throne we find LinkedIn that is used by a quarter of Internet users. Google+ continues to lose users, but remains in fifth position. Pinterest is growing strongly, but it still has a long way to go. It is in the sixth position. Facebook As I was saying before, today Facebook is the queen of social networks. It is the most used social network and also one of the most important to take into account in the design of social networking strategies for companies. Facebook has many strengths starting with its popularity. It is especially useful to connect with potential customers and retain current ones. The key is to get more followers on Facebook. Instagram Instagram was created in 2010 and in these few years has been one of the social networks that has grown the most. The strong point of Instagram are the photos and videos. Users usually upload their photos and videos accompanied by hashtags that offer more visibility. Instagram is very interesting for companies because it is like a showcase. Twitter Many things have changed on Twitter in recent years. Perhaps the most significant was to increase the length of their post beyond the 140 characters. Twitter may be the network least used by companies. It is a great social network to create conversations between brands and their followers. Twitter is especially useful for small and medium businesses because its management does not need big budgets. LinkedIn As we said before, LinkedIn is the main professional social network in Spain. One of its strengths for companies is that 45% of users are the decision makers in their companies. That is, if your clients are other companies, on LinkedIn you can find the right people to do business. LinkedIn is used for many things. From the search for new clients to the recruitment of employees. Nor should we ignore the good brand image that can be achieved in this social network. Pinterest Pinterest as Instagram is a social network where photos are of great importance. The main feature is that on Pinterest users hang photos from other web pages. This is very important because each photo is linked with a link to a web page. That is why it is very useful to bring traffic to a website. It is the smallest of the large social networks in Spain, but it is growing a lot in recent years. And although it is still a little unknown by companies, it will soon be one of the most popular. Pinterest is especially useful to publicize products through photos. If you have a product with an innovative design, Pinterest will be the ideal network for you. How to manage social networks? Analyze the needs of your target audience Before trying to connect with your audience on social networks you must stop to meet them. For this I recommend that you conduct a thorough investigation of your market. You have several tools at your disposal to know how your target audience is. I recommend Google Analytics. It offers very useful and free information. Create profiles in various social networks In order to get the full potential to social networks you have to be where your target audience is. That means you have to manage several accounts. This way you can take advantage of existing synergies. Optimize your profiles You must make sure that your image on social networks is what you want to transmit to your target audience. What things do you have to take into account? Photos, backgrounds, professional images, texts with hook, etc. Create a social strategy The basic objective of social networks is to get your messages transmitted to as many people as possible. For that you can follow the strategy that consists of these steps: * Create an interesting profile * Get a group of followers * Post interesting material on a regular basis * Accompany your publications with links (if you want to bring traffic to your website) * Interact so that your material is shared These are the basic points. Then you have to see how to lower this strategy to your business and to each of the social networks in which you have presence. Establish a content calendar To generate a calendar with the material to be published on social networks you have to have clear ideas, themes and the type of content to share. You can set the details by weeks, days or even hours. Take into account the number of articles, images or videos you want to publish and the most appropriate time to do so. Analyze your results: One of the great advantages of social networks is the ability to measure their impact in great detail. Each social network has its own tool. For example you have Twitter Analytics or Facebook Insights to know the impact of your posts on these networks.