"It's called MySpace for a reason"
Clients used to say to us (when we first started this stuff three years ago) "we need to be on MySpace", we used to ask them why?
The idea around 'fishing where the fish are' is great if you don’t care about killing fish.
People then and now still primarily use social spaces to stay in touch with their friends. Many are open to receive marketing messages or information on services although only through trusted sources.
We're not saying don’t be there just be aware why other people are there. Explore the spaces first as users before diving in as a marketeer.
Be transparent and authentic about who you are and aim to build relationships through conversations not just fire out messages.
Yes it's more time consuming but the rewards are bigger.
Remember, churches are great places to sell bibles but you don't see any bible-salesman there for a reason.
Many of our clients start using Twitter like a traditional marketing channel—pushing out their press releases and never really engaging in conversations. They fail to realise brands and organisations can't tweet, people do (on their behalf). Don't be afraid to be human and let the world know who you are—you’ll get more credibility and a deeper experience that way. We guarantee it.
*We’re not just talking about MySpace here but all the social networking sites and forums which aggregate communities of interest.