Facebook and MySpace seem like very similar social networking sites. I've noticed that people use both for promoting their businesses. Can someone explain the difference and why someone would use one over the other?

Thx,
Sophie

Hi Sophie,

Although I have an account in both sites, I use only Facebook to promote my business so I can tell you my opinion from that perspective only.

First at all, most of the people start connecting with old friends. It is something that you cannot avoid since you will receive invitations because they have your email or are looking for you with the friend finder utility. Sooner or later you will do the same until you feel that most of your friends have been found.

In the meantime, you can learn all the features: Creating Goups, Events, Pages, Causes, Advertising, Pay Per Click and Applications Adding (which is also an addictive and the most powerful way to promote your business).

To promote your business you can create a group. You may choose between creating a group for your company or for your business area. The difference is huge, a company-related group means that you created it to make business and a business-area-related group means that you are there to provide information and help. The business comes later when you establish a relation of trust with people in the group. Remeber that most of the people are in Facebook for fun not to make business.

Invite your contacts to join your group and ask them to invite their friends, which is a viral way to promote your group. Some others will join the group when they see that a friend of them joined the group. It appears on the news feed of their profiles

If you have events, create an event and invite your contacts. Join other groups related to your business and communicate them that you have a group where they can find good tips.

Join some other groups and participate. Write anything every day since any actions you take is communicated to your connections. They will see you every day and will want to know what you are doing.

You can also create a page and promote it. Although pages can also create posts, get members and some other things, people prefer to join groups more than pages.

The last one, but could be your first one, if you are developer or have someone who can do it for you, is to create an application. Create something fun that people want to join. You will be able to have their information if they allowed you, place AdSense and, of course, place your business on it. The application is distributed in a viral way because people invite others to join and then, you will have a community to market your business. Be sure to create something related to your business.

Remember that you are there for fun too :thumbsup2 so be carefull of becoming addict :fryingpan1: , because it is addictive!

Regards,

Jose Lozano

Jose,

Thanks much for that detailed explanation re Facebook. I got the feeling that MySpace attracts a younger crowd and Facebook a seemingly more mature one. I didn't know that groups were more attractive to others than pages, and that there were 2 different types of group characteristics (business promo vs informational).

Thanks again,
Sophie

It might seem a contradiction in mixing business and pleasure and there may be a bias against businesses on social networks.
That appears to be changing though

Social networks can be great for promting your business, but it should be done cautiously.

My sig has a step-by-step plan for using the Social networks to promote your business.
It's a free download with some income opportunities.

The key as mentioned is to become a respected authority.

LinkedIn is business network, maybe ou should check it out.

I'm personally and professionally much more in favor of Facebook. Maybe it's because I'm a thirtysomething (and I think Facebook was designed with us 80s kids in mind ...) but I found MySpace to be a little on the seedy side for my liking. Then again, I never explored its potential in depth. Didn't really want to either. Too many junk requests. Too many weirdos. And not enough control over who is looking at your profile and who isn't. Facebook is just so darned easy to maintain (i.e. actually keep up to date), control and use in general. You can get personal while still controlling who sees what and I really like that. Plus people aren't constantly hitting you up for a 'relationship! LOL.

Karri

MySpace seems to be for the younger crowd, Facebook is a bit more "mature" - late 20's, 30's and 40's, and LinkedIn is straight business networking with people of all ages.

I think a social site can be very effective for business networking, just as my kids' soccer games or birthday parties can lead to some good networking. the key is, it happens naturally in the flow of conversation and is genuine. Any business done from there will generally be quality, but it comes gradually.

I would have to say that I agree, I like facebook better. I feel like it is easier to use and set up, and it targets an older crowd. Myspace is more difficult to use, and users as young as 11 seem to be perusing around the site...

I think LinkedIn is much more professional than either Facebook or Myspace, but if I had to choose one, I'd take Facebook. MySpace is filled with spammers and highly unprofessional, IMO.

Hello All,

I work for a marketing company called "Spongecell" and I would have to say that both MySpace and Facebook have their benifits when it comes to promoting your business. I have recieved positive feedback from both but if I had to chose one I guess I would go with MySpace. It seems like Myspace offers more of a business affiliated trend.

But it all depends on the question, "What is you niche market?". Without knowing your niche market, you can never say with certainty which social site is best for your business. You are most likely going to get it wrong. You may jump to Facebook when the niche market for your business is at MySpace or Linked or Orkut. Most social networking sites target certain groups and behaviors. For example, those whose business revolve around music and sexy fashion have made it big on MySpace. Had they gone to Facebook, they might have attracted fewer customers.

IMHO

Regards,

MM

I think Facebook is easier to use than my Space plus there are a lot of options that u can use to start amrketing your business...:thumbsup2

I do agree with marimo that it really depends on which markets you are targeting. My experience is better with facebook. It is easier to manage and the navigation is rather easy. I do have a linkedin account but it seems that you have to pay if you are really serious about networking.

Overall, social networking site is here to stay and its really something that businesses cannot afford to ignore. But i also know there are a lot of doubts by companies about promoting via social networks. As i mentioned, it really depends a lot on your audience. If its a younger crowd, go for myspace, for 20s-40s, go for facebook, for business professionals, linkedin is a good one.

I think that it really does just depend on who you are trying to reach. What's your niche? Myspace seems best for drawing in a younger audience, while Facebook seems more for for 20+ year olds.

I don't market on either one as of now, but I have used both for social purposes, and I can see Myspace as being easier to reach a larger number of people, but yet again, it depends on your niche.

I have found that facebook has proven the best results for me. I am also starting to use Twitter. I like that I can have business page and offer a link back to my friends.

I have an account for both sites but I only use Facebook because I think it's easier to use and navigate. I thought Myspace was complicated to use and it seemed very unorganized. Facebook has fun applications to use and it attracts many people that way. You can come up with your own fun applications to promote your business.

Jose,

Thanks much for that detailed explanation re Facebook. I got the feeling that MySpace attracts a younger crowd and Facebook a seemingly more mature one. I didn't know that groups were more attractive to others than pages, and that there were 2 different types of group characteristics (business promo vs informational).

Thanks again,
Sophie

I would agree, if by more mature you meant MySpace was geared toward 14-16 year olds and Facebook was for 17-19 year olds. And Facebook was DEFINATELY not designed with "20s, 30s, 40s" in mind because it started as something only CURRENT Harvard students could use and grew and grew and grew... so a little bit older, but not much. I think older people simply like it more because Myspace is more of a mess than Facebook is, though it can be easily overcluttered as well with "applications" that often do essentially the same thing.

Are there any people who are actually making money using Facebook or MySpace - I would like to talk to some and pick their brains, so to speak.

I think Facebook is the better of the two because the business page/group has a much cleaner look vs. myspace, and the audience in general is one that is much more likely to be interested in new businesses and ideas.

Facebook is more user friendly and has a higher caliber of buyer. Usually an older demographic. It is more of an interactive site. I have made a bunch of high ticket items sales on Facebook joining many groups that have real value and substance. So I vote for Facebook to generate me leads in my business over Myspace.

I have heard GREAT things about facebook. In fact all of them positive from a business perspective. One can generate a lot of traffic from it, but again the key with any of these social networking sites is to establish a relationship with people first, then let them know what you do. They are networking sites after all.

Facebook is a liitle walled community and is virtaully invisible to search engines. but, Facebook is probably the one that you have to be the most respectful of. Its community takes the integrity, cleanliness and lack of spam very seriously

Create relationships on MySpace before you add friends, as the people you actually interact with are those who are more likely to blog about you, visit your primary website and use your services.

I have noticed that Facebook is used more by professionals because it is a more socially acceptable site. Facebook used to be for college students only and has a very clean look to it (no HTML allowed by users to modify profiles), which gives it a bit of a "VIP" feel, which why I think professionals gravitate towards it more than Myspace.

Also with Facebook, users are required to use their REAL names and submit legit information while Myspace could care less.

I have profiles on both sites, but Facebook is definitely more for professional contacts/colleagues while Myspace is more laidback and for friends.

This is a great idea, I'll have to mention it to my relative.

Myspace is an absolute disaster when it comes to organization, it's all over the place. Facebook ads allow you to target your desired audience much more directly, and it's relatively cheap as well.

I too would go with Myspace which is a much more open platform. Facebook is much more strick about privacy and thus in my opinion less room for error. Obviously as mentioned earlier Myspace attracts a younger crowd than Facebook. Thus it become obvious that you should look at your product, if its highend (expensive) then Facebook may be more appropriate. You may also want to take a look at my website "jippidy" its a small business video yellow pages site with social spin which may be what you want.

I personally use MySpace because on Facebook I had a hard time making an account for my business. I've gotten a lot of clicks on my website from MySpace!

A wide range of views here! I have also heard differing opinions at different times on which social network site is used by what kind of people - so maybe it changes with time and location.

Why not use both MySpace and Facebook if you can't decide. I really recomend use of these sites esp. if you are marketing to a local crowd, as it is a great way to build a local community of potential customers and/or create some buzz for a business or event.

Facebook and MySpace seem like very similar social networking sites. I've noticed that people use both for promoting their businesses. Can someone explain the difference and why someone would use one over the other?

Thx,
Sophie



- I havent tried that before. Wait let me first step into that and then give you my comments...

Realistically both may be fine right now but I don't think either will be the ideal platform for businesses to use down the line, the just weren't built for that from the get go although they have realized the opportunity and are trying to take advantage. I think someone else will come along and take advantage although my view maybe a little biased.

Facebook is a great idea IF you engage the people that are your potential clients. I have had great success using it to draw attention to promotions and events.

MySpace is far too unprofessional in my opinion to even think about putting business promotion on it. Its for bands and teens whereas FB has really become an outlet for professionals.

Depends on your business. As you say, MySpace is used by a lot of musicians. My husband runs an audio recording studio and has networked effectively with local musicians through MySpace.

--Torka

Ah, yes torka! Definitely would be perfect for his business.

Sorry. I didn't think of that kind of industry when I brushed a broad stroke.

I chose to advertise on facebook because it just seemed so much more legitimate. As a late teen, I had both a facebook and a myspace, and with all the scantily clad women dominating the ads on myspace, and too many underaged twerps running amuck, I dumped my myspace account. Also, if you choose to do any kind of campaign, CHECK OUT THE VISA BUSINESS APP on facebook. Not long ago, they were giving out $100 credits for facebook advertising. It was a great intro into what works and what doesn't in facebook ads.

you guys are giving me great ideas! I have both a MySpace and a Facebook. I am nervous about suddenly promoting my online venture on my already established pages. I don't want it to look like I'm recruiting them. I tried sticking some of the banners supplied with my venture on my MySpace and they don't stick. Has anyone had any luck putting code links on MySpace and having them stay the way you put them in? With all the Phishing going on MySpace now has a warning page that pops up instead of the link you clicked. So from the link being changed, banners don't work. Is there a way around this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Clare

Honestly, I don't think banners are going to be very effective as advertising on social networking sites. Especially sites with as generally busy a page layout as MySpace. They're just going to get lost in the clutter -- and the news has been full of the issues even the owners of MySpace and Facebook are having trying to get people to notice the ads they're running.

I'd say you'd probably do better to use the social networking sites as they're intended -- for networking. Post updates if something notable happens with your business. I know on MySpace, a lot of the bands will post updates when they book new gigs, for instance. Be interactive. Keep up with and respond to your potential customers. Wish them happy birthday or congratulate them on their new job or their kid's great report card.

The idea is to simply build awareness of yourself and your business rather than overtly selling or pushing advertising. People in general don't visit these sites because they want to see ads or buy stuff. They visit them because they want to interact with their friends. You want to become one of those friends.

My :twocents:

--Torka

I use various different social settings to market, but mainly MySpace at the moment because I am currently working with bands and musicians on marketing their music. I agree that it really depends on what it is that you are marketing and what kind of an audience you are looking to attract.

I certainly would not use MySpace for marketing services in the stock market, I would probably use LinkedIn for that. Knowing which type of networking site to use is a very key aspect of effective marketing on the internet.

Because I do some Photography I may use MySpace to market myself for album covers or scenery photos. Likewise if I were a clothing designer and my line was more geared for teenagers.

Ultimately you have to evaluate what you have to offer and look for the audience that would pull in the maximum amount of interest. I also prefer to keep my pages easy to read and navigate around, too much of a good thing can be too distracting as well. I go for pleasing to the eye and interesting above tons of fancy graphics and glitter.

Hope this helps a little bit.

hi...


I think Linked In is much more professional than either Facebook or Myspace, but if I had to choose one, I'd take Myspace,. MySpace is filled with highly professional, peoples.

We currently use both and have good results both on FaceBook and MySpace. Either way you look at it, it's free social networking so why not use it.

Facebook is more mature with more business minded people in attendance in my experience. My Space has almost gotten crazy with almost anything goes as the general attitude.