subject: Making Money Online-Marketing Through Social Networks [print this page] Making Money Online-Marketing Through Social Networks
Since the mid 1990's, social networks have revolutionized how we do business online. An instant access to potential buyers and long term customers provides ability to be in touch with the current interest of the marketplace.
Social networks provide people with ability to create blogs, profiles, and individual pages reflecting their individual interests and experiences. Besides expanding reach to buyers, niche research can assess trends, buying patterns and demand. It is possible to build an online presence in short order, establish business contacts, and locate joint venture partners.
There are many community sites available. Three popular sites are MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
MySpace created in 2003 is used by millions and is an integral part of many successful social marketing campaigns. You can create squeeze pages quickly styled to generate interest and exposure to your business services and products. You can locate potential joint venture partners with mutual interest in your niche. Customized pages can be created using such services as Wix.com.
In 2009 Facebook surpassed MySpace to become the most popular social network online. On Facebook, although you can add contacts to interact with your market, you can create "Adwords style" advertising which appear when certain keywords are entered in the Facebook community. The ads can be customized for gender, age and location. The ads, which you pay per click or impression, can be run on an ongoing basis or for selected time periods. In addition, you can create Facebook Fan Pages managed from your Facebook account. You can add download links, images, and messages and, for the benefit of your customers, free samples or product downloads. You can also have an opt-in box on this page to build your list.
Twitter grew with much popularity by attracting users who can "choose to follow" updates from those they hold interest. The system is designed to allow third party developers to create Twitter applications that enhance the functionality of the accounts. Services can be obtained which can for example set up automatic thank you greetings for those who follow you as a contact while being able to promote incentive offers or squeeze pages. With Twitter you can build a profile featuring your website URL and photograph. Posts submitted through your Twitter account go to all who follow you. This is a wonderful way to build a list while establishing relationships with those who choose to follow you.
The social media has developed as another feature of the internet world and medium for marketing to make money online.
