Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, GoodReads, Spoink, Squidoo, YouTube, LiveJournal, Wordpress, Blogger… every day it seems a new social media network launches, and just as the crowd has finally settled into one niche there’s a mad rush to the next one to take advantage of new applications and new ways to market (and waste time) on the Internet.

As consumers, people are attracted to social networks for the dynamic interaction they offer – you can play checkers online with your best friend who lives on the other side of the country, or you can share your MP3 playlist with the world and let people know your interests matter. For marketers, social networks provide a venue for building a brand and attracting sales. You can set up a fan page on Facebook for your company or product and encourage interaction with people, display a genuine persona that they will come to trust. Question is, how well can such marketing work if you’re not sure where to market?

You can set up pages and feeds all over the place, but if you’re not updating your networks on a regular basis you’re not really helping your business. A neglected MySpace or Facebook profile becomes less relevant within the network the longer it goes unattended, until you’re nothing but an avatar pushed to the bottom of various friends lists. If you wish to integrate social media into your marketing plan, it may be wise to study how social networks work, then place your focus on one or two rather than spread yourself so thin that you may not remember where you have profiles set up.

Focus

What is your business? What is your target audience? How are people finding you? In order to find success marketing in the social media sector, it is necessary to research how the different networks function, as well as determine what users look for and do while utilizing these networks. Do you offer B2B solutions and consulting? Perhaps your business would benefit from a concentrated campaign via LinkedIn, a social network for professionals. Do you rely heavily on instant messaging and e-mail to market your products? Using a micro-blogging tool like Twitter may work to your advantage as you build a following and continuously keep users updated.

Other suggested focus points with social media:

YouTube/MySpace – Music and film related businesses may find MySpace most useful in it social media marketing. Share videos and music instantly with new listeners and viewers, and with MySpace’s new function for purchasing downloads you can supplement your income.

GoodReads – Authors, editors, and publishers are turning to GoodReads as a means of promotion. This social network dedicated to recommending books allows those in the industry to promote their works through GoodReads’ association with Amazon.com.

FaceBook – Facebook is surpassing MySpace in popularity as the one general social network to join. The clean layout and private PPC program may prove to work to a marketer’s advantage.

To succeed in social media, find the best fit for your business and build your profile with intent to maintain. The more you devote to this focus, the more relevance you will build not only within that network, but throughout search.

- Kathryn Lively