Social Networking websites are an essential marketing resource in this web 2.0 environment. Myspace is one of the most visited websites on the web. Facebook is growing at unprecedented rates. LinkedIn is a social networking website designed for business owners and professionals to network on. Lets all start leveraging these resources so that we're not left in the dust.
Can your business afford not to market on
social networking websites? Have your competitors already taken advantage of these resources? As a large portion of Internet traffic now takes place on social networks it's time for your business to receive a portion of that traffic. The good news is it's free to join most social networks. The first step is deciding which social networking websites to create campaigns on. Most businesses create account on the most popular social networks first. I recommend all businesses create accounts on
MySpace, FaceBook and LinkedIn. For large corporations it's a good idea to have a social networking website of your own designed. Be sure to find a design company with experience in
social networking website design as it's a unique endeavor. I'll give the basics for developing marketing campaigns for each of the social networks I recommend.
MySpace is a must for all businesses. Find a professional designer who specializes in professional myspace design for businesses. Designing MySpace layouts is much different then designing a regular HTML website so be sure to find an experienced designer. MySpace layouts are coded using a div overlay technique a lot of css and some special work arounds known by few designers. There are three varieties of layouts. Basic MySpace layouts keep the default format with customized graphics. MySpace div layouts allow for a completely customized layout. A MySpace div layout is placed on top of the existent default profile with special MySpace coding all program features still function properly. MySpace flash layouts are the most interactive and visually impressive. A MySpace flash layout is designed using the div overlay technique and flash animation. When you've found your MySpace designer and selected the type of MySpace design best fits your needs the design process goes like any other website design process. When your MySpace layout is complete it's time to start marketing. Marketing on MySpace consists of requesting MySpace friends and then interacting with those friends. Be sure to add friends that may be interested in purchasing your products and services.
The first step to a FaceBook campaign is creating a FaceBook account. Unlike MySpace layouts a FaceBook layout is not customizable. One of the best things about FaceBook is the ability to market to your target demographics. I recommend starting a payper click campaign. My business uses FaceBook to market to college grads. Be sure to place links on your FaceBook profile to your MySpace layout and regular website.
LinkedIn is a business social networking website. A LinkedIn profile is essential for networking with other business professionals. LinkedIn is the place to interacting with other businesses you contract with. It's a place to get advice from business owners. It's also a place to have other business professional right recommendations for you. Although this social networking website doesn't get a massive portion of Internet traffic the individual who use LinkedIn are highly professional and influential.
A presence on these three social networks is a good start to increasing and diversifying your web presence. Remember to post links to all of your social network profiles and your websites on each account. Online social networking is about building relationships and you'll find it's easy to build these relationships with your target market with these resources.
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Related Links:
4 Benefits of Social Networking - By Mega Blue Wave
Do Companies Benefit from Social Networking? - By Roland Piquepaille
Cool Benefits of Social Networking - By Jason Falls
Online Video:
Twitter: Simple Social Networking
Jonathan McInerney is a social networking website design expert. Jonathan CFO and a marketing consultant at Pearse Street Professional Website Design Company. Pearse Street is a professional web design company specializing in website design, MySpace design, facebook development, and social network web design.