On a personal level I am not at all the MySpace sort. I do not want to pretend to be friends with zillions of people I don't even know, share intimate details of my personal life with others, and for that matter I'm not really good at small talk. But on a business level, I love MySpace!
(I know that many people use Facebook, and you can probably do many of the same type of things there. I've considered adding it to my list of promotional tools, but at this point even if I give up sleeping altogether there are still not enough hours in the day to do everything.)
So for those of you who are still hesitant about using one of these social sites to promote your business, I thought I'd share what I've been doing. First I created a profile. Actually, I had to get my 20-something daughter to spend the afternoon with me and create the profile while I watched and learned.
Then I needed at least a little bit of content, so I added a few photos. I add more photos now and then, because I've found that people love to look at other people's photos and will check my page to see if there's anything new to look at! Very few, if any, of my photos are personal. They're pictures of things I've made and have for sale. I also added an Etsy mini and an eBay widget showcasing a few of my items.
Adding friends is an ongoing activity. I started by adding a couple of people I know in real life, then added their friends, and their friends, and so on. I've also searched for people I have no connection with but had words like "jewelry lover" or "shopoholic" in their profile. At some point the friend requests started coming to me from others and I could spend less time searching out new friends to add. I do make a point to add new friends at least once a week.
I leave comments and/or send messages to everyone who becomes my friend. I usually offer them a free pendant or some other incentive to shop in one of my stores. If they've included their birthday in their profile, they'll show up on my upcoming birthday page, and I'll leave a comment or send them a message wishing them a happy birthday and offering another free gift if they make a purchase from me. I know these methods are effective, because it's clear an order came from MySpace if it comes with a request for a gift.
I send out one or two bulletins a month, usually when there's something really interesting to share. Giveaways, sales, or other promotions are good examples. People get annoyed with too many bulletins, and I get better results from individual comments.
Some of my MySpace friends have actually become my friends, so that's an unexpected benefit. I've found many people with unique and interesting talents, and it's easy to be inspired by their creativity.
I do love MySpace. It's been good for my business, and I've managed to keep everything on a level that feels comfortable for me. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask. And if you've got any tips on things I may be missing, by all means please share!
Want to be my friend? Visit Lucky Girl on MySpace.
