The MySpace phenomenon has taken the internet by storm. For
those of you who don't know, MySpace is a social networking
web site headquartered in Santa Monica, California. It is
an extremely popular site were people of all ages and interests
can create a page for themselves, network, post images, interact
with other members about similar interests, and find out about
new music. MySpace is currently the fourth most popular English-language
website. It has become an increasingly influential part of
contemporary popular culture, especially in the United States.
But are there any real opportunities for marketing on MySpace?
Well, it depends on who you ask. Many musicians, comedians,
actors, and other individuals in the entertainment industry
swear by it. If you are in the entertainment industry and
don't have a MySpace page... well, what is wrong with you?
A MySpace page may be a social requirement for any in-the-know
entertainer... but does having a MySpace page actually yield
any real results? Is a MySpace page truly a marketing must
or just a bunch of hype?
It is difficult to argue with someone who has 125,000 "friends"
on MySpace... or is it? What are all of those "friends"
actually doing for that individual? How meaningful is it to
have that many MySpace "friends"? How can we correlate
the number of one's MySpace "friends" with the revenue
produced by those friends? I'm not sure that we can.
Unless we find a way to convert those "friends"
into sales, those friends are virtually worthless... making
any time and energy spent on your MySpace page worthless.
I am not say that any efforts spent on a MySpace page are
useless. I am say that these efforts are useless if you don't
find a way to convert them into sales. Just gaining these
"friends" and stopping there is not enough.
As far as I am concerned, I am reserving my judgement of
MySpace as an effective advertising vehicle for the time being.
My only advice would be to make sure not to make the mistake
of seeing more MySpace "friends" the ultimate goal
of your MySpace marketing. You have to find a way to convert
those "friends" into dollars to be able to legitimately
call your efforts "marketing". If you aren't doing
this, then you don't have a marketing plan. You have a hobby.
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