Social Networking and eCommerce?
It seems the latest craze today is social networking, from Facebook to MySpace; Digg to del.icio.us; from Blogger! to WordPress. It’s almost impossible to keep track of the numerous sites dedicated to every imaginable topic! Well, not only is social networking become more and more popular amongs the younger crowd on the net; businesses are beginning to cash in on the popularity of social networking as well.
From a business perspective, there are many key benefits that social networking sites possess when compared to your traditional website. The first, and most obvious benefit, is the interaction social networking websites have with their visitors. Visitors aren’t simply reading the content from your pages, they are actively involved in the production and management of content within that site. Social networks benefit from the diversity that various groups of people-from different backgrounds, ethnicities, financial backgrounds, etc-can bring to the table. These differences provide a well-rounded environment where visitors feel welcome; it also promotes interaction which keeps visitors coming back.
Another major benefit to social networking is advertising, an no I’m not talking banner-ads here! Social networks have the great ability to self-promote themselves. As users find more and more special features and perks to your site over others, they’ll invite friends and the word will spread around the net. When comparing the advertising differences between social networking sites and others, there is no doubt that social networks that are successful require far less advertising than their stagnant static counterparts. This means that although the initial investment may be greater, gaining the ability to self-advertise rather than spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on lousy pay-per-click campaigns has a much more satisfying sound to it.
Now, not to contradict myself entirely now, don’t let this article fool you. Social networks CAN be a great tool for anyone, including businesses, however the key to a great social network is to provide somethign that ISN’T currently available. I have very little faith that you’re going to develop something that is going to deter users from Facebook if it already exists on Facebook. You have to be innovative, sometimes the simpler the better or catering to a specific target audience is all it takes. If all you take from this article is this last piece of advise, take it to heart. The key to a successful website is the initial dedication to make sure the job is done right. Users will not use a website that doesn’t work or looks difficult to use or navigate. The planning is the most crucial aspect of launching any website, including a social network.
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