Marketing On MySpace – Why It’s Worth Your Time

(Please note: A portion of this article discusses the use of MySpace Bots. MySpace prohibits the use of bots or electronic friend adders, and both bizMAVERICKSâ„¢ and Brad Williamson discourage the use of MySpace friend adding programs.)

Is there anything more popular these days than MySpace? I swear, the popularity of this social networking site just keeps on exploding daily. Just when you think it’s lost its cool, it picks up even more momentum. This Tom dude, who started MySpace, really pulled something off didn’t he? …Not bad for a guy who peddled asian porn in the early days of his career, huh?

So here’s this massive community of cool hunters all in one pretty little package called MySpace… Do you really expect us entrepreneurs to just build a profile and gossip about our obsessions with Justin Timberlake to our Friends? (It’s an example people! I don’t obsess over J-Timber!) We wanna make some of that cold hard scrilla (Money) baby! If you’re a business owner, and have a product that could attract the attention of these shopaholic 20-somethings, then get off your butt and build a profile so you can start creating some relationships!

I’m currently using MySpace to promote a business concept that I call bizMAVERICKS. A bizMAVERICK is essentially a businessperson who does whatever it takes to create success. There isn’t a bizMAVERICKS product that can be purchased yet, but it’ll eventually morph into a publishing venture. So instead of sitting on my hands with the concept until I have a product to sell, I might as well go ahead and start creating a buzz for this bizMAVERICK lifestyle. MySpace, here I come!

Lots of people knock MySpace as being a waste of space, but I for one have to claim it as being quite useful, fun, and potentially PROFITABLE! As an entrepreneur, there isn’t that many free marketing mediums out there to use… so why not use MySpace? The success of my bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile was recently featured on MindPetals.com (“bizMAVERICKS Are Rockin’ On MySpace”) – and was also featured in the print edition of a newspaper in the friggin’ Bahamas! (Here’s the online edition’s feature on bizMAVERICKS). MySpace can’t be THAT BAD if I’m pulling off this kind of publicity with such ease!

“Pimp” Your Space

So first thing I did was register for a profile and begin “pimping it” (I feel like such a dork saying that, but for the uneducated it simply means that you design the layout and write the content). Here’s a few tips concerning the creation of the layout…

• In the pictures section, make your default image (The image that everyone initially sees when they approach your profile) simple and bold. Notice how my bizMAVERICKS image stands out and doesn’t use any fancy technology that will give someone a seizure. The picture is an abbreviation for bizMAVERICKS (bM), and the title above spells out the initials. In doing this, I managed to easily tell people who I am and create a eye catching logo at the same time.
• Don’t flood your profile’s background with busy imagery. When you do this, your text is often unreadable because the colors clash.
• I personally don’t allow Friends of the profile to post html comments because it messes with my layout and distracts visitors from the message I’m trying to get across to them.
• You have the ability to post a song that plays every time your page is viewed. I would stay away from posting a song unless there’s one out there that is HIGHLY relevant to your brand’s personality. bizMAVERICKS happens to be a motivational entity, so it makes sense for me to post songs that would potentially inspire my audience to make something of themselves in the business world.

There are many things that you can do to personalize your profile and I suggest you use one of these sites to build your layout.

Find Your Next Customers

Now that your profile is “pimped”, it’s time to search the site for some Friends. Before you start sending out invitations to join your profile, you need to figure out who your target market is. Finding friends on MySpace is no different than finding the perfect advertising medium to market your product on. If you’re selling panty hose, there’s no point in advertising in MAXIM magazine, right? So make sure to send invitations to people who would actually give a damn about you.

There are two ways to find friends… The MySpace way, or the way many people do it (aff). The MySpace way involves using their search engine and reading over people’s profiles for hints that they might care about your product. For instance… If you’re a internet marketing guru, you would want to search the text of a profile for keywords that are relevant to your profession. However, the method many people use to find friends via MySpace, that are looking to market a product, is this… They go purchase a MySpace bot (aff).

A MySpace bot (aff) is a program that sends out targeted invitations, in bulk, to potential friends based upon the search terms you give it. So for bizMAVERICKS, I would ask my bot to search profiles that have the word “entrepreneur” or “self-employed” in it. After the profiles are found, I tell it to send a certain amount of invitations out. Within minutes you will find that people who are interested in your business are accepting your invitations. With this targeted searching, you’ll find that there won’t be any 13 year old Justin Timberlake lovers joining your profile who only care about increasing their total of friends.

Please note: MySpace currently frowns upon the use of bots. If you use one, they’ll potentially terminate your profile. I no longer use the one I had because I just came to the realization that using bots is a no no. So what I’m saying is this… USE MYSPACE BOTS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Don’t come crying to me if you get busted using a bot such as this (aff).

Marketing To Your Friends

So now that you’re business is “Mr. Popularity” on MySpace, and you have , it’s time to start marketing! Before you begin to spread the word to everyone, understand this… Do NOT spam your friends with advertisements and sales pitches! If you want to keep your friends, and not piss them off, I suggest you entertain them more than sell to them. Here are some ways that you can make your profile worth visiting again and again…

• Use the bulletin feature to send messages to your friends EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE (Too many bulletins equals spam in the eyes of your audience, and they’ll leave your ass in a heart beat.) Post bulletins that contains information that’s relevant to your friend’s interests. My bizMAVERICK bulletins often feature content that’s appealing to business people. Most of the time, I link people to the articles that I write here on SmallBusinessBranding.com. So 90% of my bulletin content is entertainment, and the other 10% is branding for the bizMAVERICKS lifestyle.
• With each bulletin you create, make sure to also post it on your MySpace blog. A profile that features an assortment of blogs is a surefire way to show your audience that your profile is worth visiting many times over.
• Post one single video on your profile that is entertainingly relevant to your product, and change the video as frequently as you’d like. When you change your video, make sure to notify your friends via a bulletin.
• Respond to the messages that your friends send you – Don’t leave them hangin’ without a reply. They were courteous enough to write you, so you should be courteous enough to write them back. You businesspeople should be able to understand that lifetime customers are made with a little time, love, and tenderness.

It doesn’t take that long to build a profile, so if I were you I’d get one going ASAP. What’s there to lose? If ya do it right, you just might find yourself with a whole lot more money in profits!

P.S. Apparently, these guys can help you make a profitable MySpace profile (aff)

It’s question time bizMAVERICKS! (Post your answers in the comments section below)

Have you used MySpace as a marketing tool before? If so, what tricks do you use to make your profile an exciting place to visit?

Wishing you continued success…

bizMAVERICK…
Brad Williamson

Add yourself as a Friend on the bizMAVERICKS MySpace profile!