MySpace: A Viable Marketing Tool?
Author: Denise Wakeman

MySpace is not only for teenagers and musicians. MySpace is
also making a buzz among Internet marketers. At the invitation
of Internet marketing guru Marlon Sanders, I set up a profile to
see what the buzz is all about.

Marlon calls it "...a 'secret' networking method the people on
the inside are using."

Being the active experimenter that I am, once I got started, I
couldn't stay away from MySpace, setting up my profile, posting
on my blog, adding events to the public calendar. As I poked
around, I thought about how this networking space could work
for professionals as a business tool.

It's pretty easy to set up a profile and it's free. If you're
using it as a business tool, be professional about the
information you reveal. Remember MySpace is ultimately a
SOCIAL tool and many people use it to hook up for dates and
relationships. If that's not your intent, keep your content
business-oriented.

What I noticed in looking at random profiles is that most are
sloppy and incomplete. A lot have no information about the
person and no photo. What's the point? My sense is that a lot
of profiles get set up and then abandoned, much like blogs.

So can you use it as a marketing tool for your business?

My guess is yes, if you're very strategic about how you go
about it.

Use your "About Me" section to talk about your business,
products and services. Make sure you have active hyperlinks
that lead to your primary website, blog and products. It's a
good idea to have a basic knowledge of HTML so you can add
images and clickable links.

Use the blog module to write about your business and events.

Send "bulletins" through the MySpace system to all your
"friends" about your product launches, press releases, events,
etc.

Join MySpace groups that represent your target audience.
Participate in discussions and send bulletins to everyone in
the group. No spamming!

Post your events on the public calendar

As you add new friends, welcome them and you'll be on your way
to building a community.

A way to approach this from a business angle is to think of
your "friends" as possible joint venture partners and potential
business opportunities. And, as we like to say, it's another
line in the fishing pond for attracting prospects, building
your list and your network.

So, is it worth trying out? That's only for you to know. If
you like trying new things, if you like testing new systems,
then give it try.


About The Author: For leading edge Internet Marketing tips go
to http://www.biztipsblog.com. And, subscribe to my ezine
Savvy eBiz Tips at http://www.savvyebiztips.com. To learn more
about social media tools, go to http://www.buildabetterblog.com.
Denise Wakeman is an Internet Marketing expert and founding
member of The Blog Squad.