One of the newest phenomena’s hitting the business world on the internet is
using interactive community sites, such as Myspace to promote your business.
The reasons are clear as to why business owners have chosen to promote their
businesses on Myspace. With an average of over half a million long ins a
day, Myspace is easily one of the most popular website on the internet
today. With this kind of traffic, every business is sure to find a target
group that is interested in their products, or services.
Perhaps one of the
best reasons for using Myspace to promote your business is the fact that it
is free. The only investment you will need is some time to build your
profile, and time to find and add people to your “friends list,” which in
this case is actually your targeted group.
Setting Up Your Profile
Once you sign up, you will be asked to create a profile. Your profile is the
single most important thing when you decide to advertise using Myspace. Your
potential targets and clientele will look at this profile first. It will
literally give them their first impression of you.
You will want to set up your profile with as much information as you can,
however do not overdo it and make it seem as if you are just trying to get
them to read about your business. A good balance is key.
Do not over use images or other media within your page, so it will load fast
for even the slowest of internet connections.
Gaining Targets
Once you have everything setup on your profile, you will want to begin
looking for targets. You will want to look for the type of people that may
be interested in your business.
Myspace provides a search feature that allows you to search by age, gender,
status, and location. Use this feature to search and find people in your
area. Click on their profile, and if they fit your criteria, the use the
“add to friends” button. A message will be sent to them, and then they will
be able to add or deny your profile. Once you see that they have accepted
you, then post a “thank you” message on their profile.
Proper Myspace Etiquette
When using Myspace to promote your business, you will want to practice some
etiquette. It is easy to overdo it, which can greatly hurt your image,
especially with potential local consumers. After all, the idea is to
promote your business, not to hurt it’s image.
Spaming, or sending unsolicited messages to random users and addresses, is
strictly prohibited, and will get your account deleted. Never send
unsolicited or unwanted messages to anyone. However, if the person contacts
you first (whether it be by comment, or message) feel free to communicate
with them about your business.
Another type of spamming, which is potentially dangerous for your business,
is over-posting comments. The comment system on Myspace allows you to post
comments on other’s profiles, that is usually viewable by everyone that
views that person profile. This can be a great way to reach additional
contacts, provided that you follow some rules. First, never post a comment
solely about your business. Instead, you can post a message thanking that
person for accepting your friend request, or thanking them for sending you a
friend request, whatever the case may be. The only acceptable way you should
post a comment about your business is if the user posted a comment on your
profile first.
Never post pictures on other users profile.