The Art of Social Network Marketing - Part 1

Social network marketing is the new buzzword in internet marketing circles. However, every social networking and bookmarking website is different and requires its own marketing techniques to make the most of it. In this series of articles, I look at the big social networking websites and tell you how you can make the best use of them.


One thing that is common with all social networking and bookmarking websites is that it is always free to create an account. In fact, your social network marketing campaign can be completely free, though it will take more of your time.

Also bear in mind that social networking websites are like communities. To market successfully on them you will need to make a genuine contribution to these communities by making friends and helping people out. Blatant marketing doesn't go down well on these websites.

FaceBook

FaceBook is huge, and it is only getting bigger. Originally aimed at college students, FaceBook has extended its reach. Today you will find all age groups from a variety of locations and professions. Whatever you are selling, there will most likely be a market on FaceBook.

As with many Web 2.0 websites, FaceBook is ideal for marketing by word of mouth. You can join groups and make friends in your area and circulate news about your products and related fields. If you have a blog you can have any updates appear on your FaceBook account, or give your friends the choice to receive your profile updates as an RSS feed. If you wish, you can even set up your own groups and events and invite people.

If you have a marketing and advertising budget, you can advertise on FaceBook. Ads on FaceBook come in the form of traditional banner ads or flyers. The real advantage of advertising on FaceBook is that the ads can be targeted at very specific groups, age groups or locations. You can also limit how much you spend on FaceBook ads so you do not go over budget.

MySpace

MySpace is the other giant of the social networking world. With hundreds of millions of users it can be another happy hunting ground for the online marketer. MySpace definitely has a young user base with many in their teens.

The basic rules for promoting yourself are similar to FaceBook. You set up a profile and try to build a network of friends and contacts who you can promote your products to.

MySpace lets you choose the look and feel of your profile so you can make something that looks good with a little effort. It is a good idea for your MySpace page to reflect the look and feel of your main website or blog for consistency. Also, make full use of sound, images and video to make your page more dynamic.

Once you build up a network of friends be sure to keep them. Keep your MySpace blog page regularly updated, and send bulletins to your friends letting them know about any new products and providing them with your latest news.

The next article examines the possibilities of marketing on social bookmarking websites.
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