by GinnyPenny

Created on: May 19, 2008

If you think MySpace is just a networking site for teenagers and bands you are mistaken. MySpace is an excellent resource for marketing your business. It is free, customizable and has a ton of users. There are, however, things you should and shouldn't do to get the best use out of MySpace.

Things you should do:

Log on often. 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. It only takes a few moments.

Customize your layout. Take advantage of the different layout options MySpace has to offer. Include pictures of your product or service. It doesn't have to be fancy. It just shouldn't appear like you left the default.

Things you should not do:

Don't make your profile private. It makes it harder for people to get information since not much will be displayed. It is a theory that by asking people to add you as a friend to view your profile you will get information about who is looking for your business. However, it can backfire by making it seem like you are hard to work with and they will move right on to the next business who has a more accessible profile.

Separate your personal profile from your business profile. Religion, sexual orientation, marital status and anything political do not belong on a business website. When you are filling out your profile information you will be asked some questions that are probably just better left unanswered. Try and refrain from discussing things that could potentially turn people off anywhere in your profile including blogs.

Don't lie about your age. It is very common for businesses to put 99 as their age. This seems harmless, but it is a problem. When doing a search MySpace has default settings for some of the parameters. The age field is set from 18 to 35 years old. If you don't want to disclose your age put the years you have been in business. Keep in mind that if select that you are under 18 then your profile won't be visible to those over 18. Unfortunately you can't bypass putting in the age. Put that you are 29 and make a joke about it if you must.

The most important thing is to get your MySpace page up and running. It's free, easy to use, and will drive traffic to your site.

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