MySpace is a social networking website where members can meet friends, find and listen to music / bands, create personal profiles, join groups, post on blog, plan events, participate in forums, and submit videos, music and photos. MySpace became the most popular social networking site in the United States in 2006.

MySpace allows its users to customize their profile pages by using HTML in some sections like "About Me", "I'd Like to Meet", and "Interests". This way user can also include Videos and Flash - Based content.

How you can promote your business effectively on MySpace?
Ways to acquire more clients, create brand awareness and promote business on MySpace -

• Create powerful and customized profile
• Your profile is very important especially when you are planning to use MySpace for business promotion as your potential targets and clientele will get their first impression about you and your business from your profile page.
• Fill in all sections of your profile. Provide your company's overview, list services you provide and explain how it can benefit your target audience. Make you profile in such a way that it looks professional but personal.
• Add searchable content in your profile. It will increase chances of your profile being found in more places in MySpace's database.
• Use your business logo as your profile image.
• Customize your page by using your brand's colors. You can do this with CSS. MySpace relies upon CSS (cascading style sheet) code to change the color scheme and layout of your template.
• Look for target audience
• Add those people in your network who may be interested in your business. You can use MySpace search feature which allows demographics targeting i.e. It allows you to invite people to your social network based on a variety of criteria like age, gender, martial status, country etc.
• This feature can prove very helpful in your business promotion. For example - If you are a cosmetic surgeon, you would like to target both Males and Females between the ages of 35-60.
• Once you have decided your target audience you can invite these people to join your network by sending friend request (click on "add to friends" button to send friends request).
• When someone accepts you to their network, send them "Thank you" message.
• Make valuable connections
• Valuable connections plays a very important role in your business promotion. Here are few tips on how to make a valuable connection.
• Spend sometime in researching, studying and identifying your target audience. Study profiles before inviting people to your network.
• While searching for valuable connection you might come across people who are from your industry or are your industry leaders. Invite these people to your network. Keep yourself updated with what these people are doing.
• Benefits of using MySpace blog
• MySpace page is a great way to get your content indexed in the search engines and generate more traffic to your business.
• If someone does a search, for an industry specific topic in Google, your page may pop up because of the content that is on your MySpace blog
• Creating a blog is also a great way to demonstrate to your audience your area of knowledge and expertise
• Join relevant MySpace groups
• You can find number of groups in MySpace. Join a group which is relevant to your industry. Be active in the groups you have joined. Keep posting relevant content and get involved in the conversation. You can also create your group and start a conversation.
• Join Forums
• Forums are an online community where members can get together and discuss related topics that interest all members. Post relevant comments, useful tips, and answer people's questions with a conclusive response, this will make other members of the community read your post.
• Participate in any forums that obtain to your area of expertise, offer to help solve problems that other people might be facing, and post problems that you need help solving.
• Videos & Pictures
• You can use videos as means for distributing your information. Videos can prove to be a great medium for distributing your information. You can create a video of your products / services or of your clients who have some good words to say about you. Your videos can become viral i.e. if someone likes it, he will pass it to his friends, his friends will pass it to their friends and so on.
• Same thing you can do with pictures. Upload interesting pictures, it can be of your office or staff or products / services. It will give others chance to better understand you and your products.

Tips on how to promote your business

• Keep layout simple
• Keep your profile layout simple. Don't keep on stuffing unnecessary graphics as more graphics will take more time to load your profile, which may result in loosing connection.
• Choose soft colors that don't distract visitors from your content, use lighter backgrounds instead of dark so most users will be able to read content in your profile clearly.
• Your profile speaks for you
  Your profile speaks for you. It gives impression of you / your personality to your customers. Let you profile talk for you. Add your favorite songs, movies, interests etc. in your profile
• Add link in your signature line
  Always provide a link of MySpace profile in your email signature, it will promote your profile. By sending this with every email you are increasing your chances of being visible. If people find your profile interesting they will talk about it with others.
• Log on regularly
  You will be notified by email if you receive messages or friend requests, but even if you don't have these you should log on daily. It may not seem important but it is. When potential clients and contacts search for a business or service the results are shown in order of the last log in date. You will be near the top if you log on once each day.
• Have personalized URL
  MySpace allows you to have personalized URL. You can reserve URL with your brand name. For example - http://MySpace.com/redalkemi
• Be active user
  Keep on posting new content, be active in forums and blogs, answer to the questions, ask questions, add your favorite video, reply to all the messages etc.
• Don't Spam
  Spamming is strictly no - no. Never send unsolicited messages to random users. It will get your account deleted.
• Use Bulletin
  Make use of the bulletin feature in MySpace to alert all users when you post a new blog entry or if you are making an upcoming public appearance, or some other news which you would like to share with other people.

Quick glance - Things to do

Send invitations Accept friends request Get friends referrals Post comments Respond to blog Comment on pictures

Rate songs Reply to messages Update calendar Create group Join / Interact in groups

Post Bulletins Post in Blogs Be active in Forums Add link to your email signatures Make use of videos & pictures