Vero, New Social Media Networks, and the Benefits of Early Adoption

Last week saw the rise in popularity of social media app Vero, which has become the most downloaded app in eighteen countries. But what is it, should you sign up right now, and does your business really need another social media network?

What is Vero?

Taking its name from the Italian for “truth”, Vero aims to be a more natural and authentic social media network, and one thing it has going for it is that there is no algorithm for businesses to try to game or for users to get fed up with. It makes money from subscriptions rather than advertisers. Rather than relying on income from advertising, Vero will put a subscription plan in place so that users can enjoy access for an annual fee, without being subjected to annoying ads. However, Vero announced that this subscription fee will be waived for the first million users, and after the company had some technical troubles while trying to accommodate a large influx of users, this offer has been extended to all new users until further notice.

But the main selling point is that unlike other apps that reduce people to either friends or followers, Vero allows you to set connections as acquaintances, friends, or close friends, or you can simply follow people. Then each time you post something, you can choose which of these groups sees it.

This sounds to me a little reminiscent of the Circles found on Google Plus. And on personal Facebook profiles, you can choose who does and doesn’t see your individual posts, right down to typing in a person’s name in order to show or hide the post from them. So the idea of choosing who sees what doesn’t seem that new to me.

In terms of what you actually put out there, you can share photos, video, links and text posts and group them into collections. It all feels a little Instagram-esque, only with more bugs. And I mean lots of bugs. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to write a blog post about it because earlier in the week I couldn’t sign in at all, and when I did it seemed like some of the features weren’t working or don’t yet do what I would expect of them.

However, even if the app sorts out its bugs, its reputation is already somewhat tainted by controversy surrounding CEO Ayman Hariri and the poor treatment of workers at a construction company founded by his father. In fact, many users looking into the app have already deleted their accounts because of this – or have at least attempted to, as this action itself has proved to be less than straightforward. It seems that the app has a lot to improve on before it can measure up to the likes of Facebook.

How Important Is It To Be An Early Adopter?

Keeping Up With New Technology

So should you jump on the bandwagon and get yourself a Vero account? Vero has actually been around since 2015, but has only recently hit over a million users. So the phrase “early adoption” may in fact be a little late here. However, as marketers it’s important to be aware of changes in the industry, including new social media networks, advertising opportunities, and other relevant news. If you do any social media or online marketing work for your business, it’s in your best interests to know what’s going on and how you can use any new developments to your advantage.

Gaining Exposure

A new social media network is naturally going to be a little less crowded at first – meaning if you can get in early, you may have more chance of being seen and heard by other members. You’ll also have an advantage over other users and businesses if you quickly learn how to navigate an app or website and use its features to your advantage. While other people are just signing up and scrabbling around trying to figure out what’s going on, you’ll already have a completed profile, a growing network of connections and a firm grasp of what you and everyone else is doing there and why.

Freebies and Perks

Going back to Vero, the free lifetime access for new users means you might as well sign up for an account, just in case the network really takes off. You’ve got nothing to lose, and it’s better to sign up and find it isn’t worth pursuing, than to realise later on that the app is important for your business but you’ve missed your chance and now have to pay an annual fee that could have otherwise been avoided.

How Many Social Media Networks Is Too Many?

Over time, many social networks have made an appearance but since fallen to the wayside, such as Ello, Peach and Google Plus. Many of these sites and apps do still exist but simply didn’t take off in the way people thought they might, and they aren’t a patch on leaders such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

While you have nothing to lose in trying out these new apps, it’s important to know when they are working for you and when the audience simply isn’t there. Nobody has time to maintain a business page or profile on every single social media network out there, and by trying to be everywhere at once, you’ll simply spread yourself too thin and end up neglecting the things you should really be focusing on. There is nothing wrong with trying something new, and you should definitely at least research new technology to see if it might benefit your brand. But if it isn’t working out, don’t be afraid to press the delete button and work on the networks that are really delivering results for your business.