Social Networking - The Next Great Advertising Medium?

With therefore much interest in how social networks function, one begins to wonder if you have marketing potential within these social networks?

I have been seeing social media for quite a while now. Actually I'm a member of various social networking internet sites including http://www.myspace.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com only...

There has been a virtual explosion of social network internet sites in the past couple of years. Even the people like Google, Yahoo and MSN are receiving into it.

With therefore much interest in how social networks work, one begins to wonder if you have advertising potential within these social networks?

I have been seeing social networking for quite a while now. In fact I am a member of numerous social-networking internet sites including http://www.myspace.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com just to name two.

I joined partly because I wished to see what these were, but more importantly to see on SEM what effect social media would have in-the coming years.

I've been a part of numerous services for a while and the reach these sites have is incredible.

For example, from my LinkedIn network of eight people I have an expanded network of over 12,600 people.

Suppose - I am just a click or two away from close to 13,000 other folks who share my similar interests ranging from what I like to watch o-n TV to work I can provide for them.

Through their connections and my connections, I am related to people ranging from the American Cancer Society, to Sun Microsystems to the University of Texas to Google.

But what marketing opportunities are there for Social Media?

Well, let's take a look at MySpace.

MySpace is one of the prime sites on line today. I-t racked up 9.4 billion page-views in August 2005 (greater than Google) and new users are signing up at a mind-boggling rate of 3.5 million monthly.

MySpace is typical of where todays 18-30 year old visits manage their electronic life. It allows people to publish photos of themselves and their friends, develop a blog, record their favorite groups, watch and share videos, suggest activities to do and lists a set of people they consider friends. It's on this 'Friends List' where most of the possibilities lay.

All thirty million plus users of MySpace possess a friends page that lists people that person considers their friend. This can be a list of individuals who they are interested in hearing from on a normal basis, in addition to talking to and about. Once you put somebody as your friend they can send you emails, discuss your images, study your blogs, as well as leave messages that you can then tell others. To get other viewpoints, consider looking at: jump button. This is an opportunity for immediate feedback about you.

The ability to include friends to your page is important for marketing to MySpace customers. In accordance with Courtney Holt, mind of new media and strategic marketing at Interscope Records, 'This technology is growing up without having ever viewed developed media. 'They don't think in terms of-the album, and they don't think in terms of a TV schedule. They think when it comes to TiVo, P2P, AOL, and naturally MySpace.

You can view how this might develop.

Let us say you produce a MySpace account to speak about your products or services. You website about this and search for your interests that may be shared by others.

Afterward you ask them to be your friend. If they turn into a friend you begin your 'soft offer' pitching your solution in their mind.

As they grow to appreciate it, they begin blogging and sharing it. Soon thousands or even thousand of individuals are referring to you and your product or service.

Don't think this can work?

Let me give some examples to you. There are numerous bands who have gotten their start MySpace. By simply hosting a few of their music on the web and blogging about themselves they created a following. Soon they'd record deals and contracts prearranged.

Obviously to make use of services like MySpace you'll need to get anything this marketplace needs. If you don't then you probably shouldn't put too much effort into MySpace.

But that will not mean other social network opportunities should be overlooked. As I mentioned previously, Linked-in is more of an expert introduction service. If your service or product meets here then by all means investigate it more. Be taught further on an affiliated link - Hit this web page: linkedin.com/in/paul-flick-1613275/. 33 Reasons To Do A News Release contains further about the meaning behind it.

And there are others as well. Ser-vices including Flickr, Yahoo!s MyWeb, http://del.icio.us and more.

If you have ever wondered what other online options might be on the market, con-sider social media. It could be another great online marketing channel.. Browse here at slideshare.net to compare why to engage in it.