Definition:
A vertical social network,also called a thematic social network, is one that is characterized by being specialized in a certain subject and therefore groups a group of users with a very specific interest and knowledge about the subject in which it specializes.
Faced with the large horizontal social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram …) that aim to bring together as many people as possible regardless of their profile, vertical social networks advocate specialization and specific knowledge.
We can highlight the following advantages of vertical social networks:
- The existence of social networks that group users around the same theme represents a great opportunity for companies, which can find in these social networks a segmented audience on which to execute marketing actions.
- These networks are ideal for obtaining a perfect interaction with the user, much more personalized and productive than in horizontal social networks.
- The presence of our company in a vertical social network gives us brand recognition, since it reaches potential customers much more easily. On the other hand, we can improve our online positioning by attracting an audience relevant enough for our objectives and increase our conversion options.
We have a large number of examples of well-known vertical social networks:
- MiNube brings together travel enthusiasts who can share their experiences through this network, as well as Wikiloc is a large community of lovers of hiking and crossings, who share routes, indications and tips.
- Badoo and Tinder are two popular dating social networks whose goal is to help us find a partner, while Esanum is a professionalized social network of doctors.
- BlaBlaCar allows us to share a vehicle and expenses to make our trips more enjoyful and at the same time save money.
- Doggy talky proposes us to look for people with whom to walk together your beloved pets.
- Filmafinitty and IMBd bring together cinephiles from all over the world who share film reviews, seek recommendations and compile rankings with their favorite works.
- Moterus is a free social network where motorcycle lovers have a meeting point.
- Instagram is in counterpart the example of social network that began vertically but its popularity and growth ended up turning it into a horizontal social network, since it brings together all types of users and not only photography lovers. In this sense, we can see the social network Flickr that if it remains as a vertical social network of photography