Thinking of starting a social media platform to steal a piece of the pie from Facebook and Twitter? Not so fast. Consider the following before you do:
- Don’t force it. A one-sided conversation can be forced, but a real conversation will only happen organically.
- Consider why people will participate in your particular niche. Not all topics deserve conversation.
- People will conduct online conversations where it makes the most sense to them. Some of the most popular platforms don’t even advertise; they are promoted only through word-of-mouth (and I don’t mean radio ads).
- Consider why the potential users of your social media platform will use your social media platform instead of one that already exists.
- Be creative when you open the platform up to the public. Only so many people will initiate conversations to empty space.
Who benefits from well-planned social media platforms?
- The platform – strategic companies earn much more revenue when they really understand the value of their product.
- The users – people appreciate the value of interacting with others, learning from those who know more than them and teaching others about something in which they have expertise.
- Related companies – companies love to sell directly to their target audience.