Last year, Nielsen/NetRatings announced that the top 10 social networking sites garnered 45 percent of active internet users. That is a staggering figure that illustrates the power of social networks. If you're not familiar with social networks, you have probably heard of MySpace. MySpace is a good example of a social network. Sites like MySpace provide easy ways for users to network around interests, ages, locations, etc. The great thing for owners of sites like MySpace is that the users produce tons and tons of content for them. As an owner of a website, you need to understand what these networks can do for you.
Most webmasters don't want to mess around with social networks. Most webmasters tend to view social networks as a fad reserved for teenagers. It's true that there is a fair share of riff-raff in social networks. But webmasters ignore social networks at their own peril. Last year, at the Web 2.0 Summit Fox Interactive President Ross Levinsohn noted that MySpace was adding daily users equivalent to the population of Buffalo. Major networks have taken notice of social networks, and for good reason. Droves of people are flocking to social networks. There is now major traffic and major money in social networks. Social networks are not a fad. You do your site a major disservice if you do not consider putting your stake in the social network territory.
Social networks can be extremely profitable for a retail site. Retailers who have made forays into the ecommerce space know that marketing can be expensive. This is true of offline and online space. When marketing your product or service, you want to go where people need what you have. And this is precisely where social networks come into play. You can find a subnetwork within these social networks that will be geared around your product or service. If you haven't plunged into the social network space, you will be amazed at the depth and breadth of these sub networks. This is fertile space for your business. Just remember that this is a network. Don't go in with your sales guns blazing. I recommend that you join the network and simply watch and participate for a few weeks. Interact with other members. Think of it as market research. I guarantee that you will get hooked. It is not uncommon for sites suddenly to get tens or hundreds of thousands of visitors to their site as a direct result of a social network. How much would that visibility cost you in a marketing campaign? I can tell you from experience that it's a lot of money.
So, how can you get started? Starting is very easy. Simply do a search for social networks. You will soon see an amazing array of social networks popping up all over the place. Choose a few and try them out. Each network has its own distinct feature set. Find a couple that you like and stick with them. Develop your network and make sure you put information about your business, service, or product in your profile or page. I'll guarantee that it will be worth your time.
Paul McGillivary
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