Social Media Marketing: Facebook Or MySpace?

The advent of Web 2.0 and social networking has created numerous opportunities for the online marketer to promote their services at no cost. The two most prolific sites in this area are Facebook and MySpace – both of them having close to 200 million registered users!
With two players of this magnitude, I’m often asked which one people should be using as part of their online marketing strategy. I’ll make it clear right from the start that I use both, but I thought it would be beneficial to others to understand the major differences between the two so that you can make your own mind up.

MySpace

The big advantage to MySpace is that it seems to offer much more freedom to market in whatever way you want to. Unlike Facebook, MySpace doesn’t place any artificial limit on the number of friends that you’re allowed to have, so if you can attract many thousands of followers, this won’t present you with a problem.
However, one of the challenges that I’ve been noticing with MySpace recently is the proliferation of spam – in particular, porn related spam. It’s too early to say for certain, but I would be concerned about basing my whole online marketing strategy completely on MySpace as this increase in spam could lead to usage dropping off.

Facebook

On the surface, Facebook appears to be less marketer friendly. However, used well, it can be extremely effective as it forces you to build your relationships and to add value. This builds trust and ultimately makes your contacts more likely to buy from you.
In addition, Facebook provides Groups which can be highly targeted to your market, and are a great forum for promoting your businesses.
Ultimately, your decision to use one or the other will boil down to personal preference. I would encourage you to review them both in light of my introductory information and to make your own decision. Just remember, it doesn’t matter which one you choose if you doesn’t follow through and use them effectively!