Myspace Marketing Secrets by Eliane - HTML preview

PLEASE NOTE: This is an HTML preview only and some elements such as links or page numbers may be incorrect.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.

Chapter 2:

Getting Started on MySpace

index-16_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

2.1 Getting a Basic Account

Here's a quick overview of how to set up your basic account with MySpace.com and begin enjoying al their services.

One of the first things you need to understand about MySpace.com is that there is no charge to establish an account with them. What's more, there is not a single feature or function associated with basic MySpace.com services that is not free. At the present time, the funding for the site al comes from advertising revenues. While at some future point, there may be additional premium style services that wil involve some sort of fee, there wil always be plenty to choose that carries no charge.

When it comes to establishing your account, the process is similar to joining a message board. You wil be asked to read the rules and regulations for the site and agree to them. From there, you wil have the opportunity to establish a screen name and password that is unique to you. After you have been approved and your screen name

index-17_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

and password is active, you can begin the process of creating your basic profile. The basic profile is already compiled as a template; you simply have to fil in the blanks.

The entire process of creating a MySpace.com account can take just a few moments.

Once you have the account established and your basic profile in place, you can begin the process of using the search engines to find friends who are already signed up to MySpace.com, as wel as begin to invite your friends to join and network as wel .

There are a lot of things you can do with MySpace.com. Visit their home page on the Internet and read about the various applications. One of them is sure to be a good fit for you.

2.2 Creating an Attractive MySpace Profile If you are thinking in terms of MySpace.com as being a great place to network with other business professionals and promote your business at the same time, you are right.

The potential for expanding public awareness of your business through MySpace is virtual y unlimited. However, if your profile is to stand out, there are a few basic ideas you need to keep in mind.

MySpace Marketing Secrets

First, you want your profile to be easy to load. You know from your own web searches that nothing is quite as exasperating as researching for a vendor on the Internet, final y coming across a likely prospect, only to find yourself having to navigate through animation and other bel s and whistles. For people that want to get to solid information, including contact names, emails, and phone numbers, having to wade through slow loading special effects can be such a turn off that they back up and look elsewhere.

MySpace.com does al ow for both fixed backgrounds as wel as animated backgrounds.

If you real y want to make sure the page loads quickly (and if you are targeting a residential market, where dial-up connections are stil the name of the game in many parts of the country), then you wil want to go with the fixed background.

Artful y created repeating backgrounds are great for many purposes, but if you want people to stop and read without visual distractions, keep it simple. The faster your page loads, the more quickly your potential customer wil find out what you are al about.

Second, don't use a lot of filler in your descriptions. You want to put a lot of fact in relatively little space. This al ows people to quickly see what you do and how it can be helpful to them. Because of the blog feature on MySpace.com, you can easily include links to parts of your blog to expound on various points that you highlight on your home page. Keep the verbiage snappy and to the point.

Last, make sure the arrangement of information represents a logical succession of thought.

As an example, if you are resel ing teleconference services, don't begin with a laundry of list of how to make a conference cal . Instead, lead off with information concerning the many ways people use conference cal s. Once someone understands they need a conference cal service, then you can educate them in proper conference cal etiquette.

Using a MySpace profile to further your business interests is a great idea. By paying attention to a few basic concepts, you can ensure your profile is attractive, readable, and easy for your potential customer to navigate.

2.3 How to Design an Attractive Basic

MySpace Profile

Once you've made the decision to create a presence on MySpace, one of the things you want to do is make sure your profile wil catch the eye of people that you would be

index-19_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

interested in getting to know. In order to do this, there are several matters you should consider.

First, there is the matter of the content of your space. MySpace.com provides you with some basic fields that you can use to share information about yourself and the reasons why you have the MySpace presence.

Before you dump just any old bit of information into these fields, consider careful y what image you want to project. In many ways, what you say about yourself and your interests on your MySpace profile is no different from what you would share on a job resume or some other public document. Make sure the text is informative and at the same time makes the reader want to know more about your or your subject matter.

Next, there is the matter of visual images to help enhance the look of your profile. When you select photos to upload to your profile, do so with an eye toward presenting the public persona that you want to portray.

As an example, if you are a single person who wants to meet other singles in your area, it is probably not the smartest move to upload a bunch of pictures of you with love interests from years past. Instead, focus on using recent pictures of yourself that show you at your best. If you look great in business attire, then have one shot that shows you dressed up.

Perhaps you like to play tennis or bowl; include a shot of yourself having a good time engaged in your favorite sport.

Remember! That the photos should show you as you are today and honestly portray part of your life.

index-20_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

Color schemes are important as wel . You may want to include some sort of cartoons or sketches as part of the images you upload. That is great, as long as the images tel something about you and your outlook on life. Make sure the look of your pages is pleasing to the eye, not jarring or hard to read because of the template choices. You want people to find your page and settle down to read your profile, not take one look and head for the next site on the search engine.

MySpace.com offers a number of tools to help people with their profiles. Check out the tutorials they have on the site, and you are sure to find some great ideas that wil work for you.

2.4 Jazzing up your MySpace Family Profile If you have established a MySpace.com profile as a way of sharing with the world about your spouse and children, there are several ways that you can ensure your profile is one that catches the eye. Here are a few tips to help make your family MySpace profile very inviting and attractive.

First of al , make sure that you include recent photos of al family members. There is nothing wrong with having baby pictures or a shot or two from your wedding. But the MySpace Marketing Secrets

profile should focus on your family as it is today. Let the world know how each of you look currently and be sure to use as many shots of different family members engaged in some sort of activity as possible, whether it is washing the dishes or tossing around a footbal in the back yard.

Second, if there is no one in your household that is an HTML guru, do not despair.

There are quite a few things you can do to mix and match elements that are already provided by MySpace.com. Play around with the different elements until you come up with a look that pleases you and your family.

If you do not see any of the basic templates that work for you, then do a quick Internet search. A number of folks who are very savvy with HTML and writing code have developed some templates that wil work just fine with MySpace. They usual y have these available at no charge, and provide user-friendly instructions on how to apply them to your MySpace profile.

Setting up an attractive profile on MySpace.com is easy. The nice thing is that updating the profile from time to time is also a simple task. If you need assistance in setting up your profile, MySpace.com provides several excel ent resources on the site.

Whether you are completely baffled by anything technical, or if you are right at home with laying out web pages, you wil be able to come up with a look that wil be pleasing to the eye.

2.5 Creating an Attractive MySpace Profile for your Hobby

Most of us have a hobby or an interest that we would like to share with the rest of the world.

One of the great things about MySpace.com is that you can do this very thing without having to pay anything for the online space to share your enthusiasm. If you have thought of creating a MySpace profile that is dedicated to an interest or hobby of yours, here are a few tips to help you create a profile that wil be sure to catch the attention of visitors and members alike.

Many people have to see something that catches their attention in the first few seconds they look at a site. In order to not only attract attention but hold that attention, it is imperative that you maintain the attention with some factual information that lets the

index-22_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

visitor understand that you know what you are talking about. Pick your words for the home page very careful y, and you wil be sure to make a positive first impression.

Next, be sparing in your use of videos and other types of clips. Yes, they can be eye catchers. They also can greatly increase the amount of time it takes for your site to load. For people who see this as a waste of time, they wil most likely not be back to your page again. You may want to include a single video that you change out on some sort of recurring basis, just to keep the feature fresh. But don't overload the site with too much information.

Music bites is something else that can be overdone. A little background music is great and usual y wil not slow things down, even for a visitor that is accessing your MyPage profile via a 56K modem. But try not to use anything so complicated that it wil bog down the loading, or lead to frequent buffering.

Background color of your pages is another important aspect. You may enjoy vibrant bright colors, but keep in mind that some color combinations that work great in some situations are not right for others. The same is true for your pages. Use colors that enhance the look of the text or the images you have loaded on the pages, rather than obscure or draw attention away from them. The result wil be a page that is easy to enjoy and wil most likely be visited again.

Creating an attractive MySpace profile for a hobby is pretty easy to do. For help designing your profile, consult the tutorials available on the MySpace site.

2.6 Creating an Attractive Matchmaker Profile on MySpace

As any single person knows, there is always someone in our social circle that wil not rest until they find us the perfect mate. With the advent of the Internet, there are more ways to search for and match up people than ever before. Now your wel -intentioned friend can set up a MySpace profile and start bring people together. Here are a few ways to make sure the profile works.

One of the first things to be made clear is what the profile is al about. Make sure that any visitor knows that this is a place for people to be matched up with potential love interests, and whom it is that wil be doing the matchmaking.

index-23_1.jpg

MySpace Marketing Secrets

Some basic information about the matchmaker should be presented, so that any visitors can be assured that a real human being is behind this endeavor, not some faceless conglomerate that wil attempt to sel something later on in the process.

Part of the way the profile wil convey the impression that the space is set aside for matchmaking wil be the color of the pages themselves. We al know there are certain color combinations that are associated with matters of the heart.

In like manner, there are specific images in most societies that immediately bring to mind romance. Make sure that you utilize these images in creating the background and color schemes for your pages. This wil reinforce the idea of what is going on here.

One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that under no circumstances should you reveal more information about an individual than he or she is wil ing to reveal on the Internet. If you intend to post photos of anyone, a good place to start would be to post a photo that the individual already has on the Internet.

Remember! That matchmaking involves the personal introduction of one person to another. So make sure there is the ability for you to act as the medium for the original contact. After that, you can let the two individuals decide for themselves whether to stay in contact, and how much information to reveal.

MySpace Marketing Secrets

Don't clutter the pages of your profile with too much information. Keep the look clean and crisp. If the page appears to be disjointed and unorganized, chances are people wil give your profile one look and then move on. You can always revise the content from time to time, if necessary. But remember that sometimes less is more.

Matchmaking is a time-honored practice, and one that you can perform with great gusto via your MySpace profile. Just keep a few simple ideas in mind and you wil sure to be a hit.

MySpace Marketing Secrets

MySpace Marketing Secrets