Social networking holds the promise of being the next biggest marketing arena in town.
However, the rules are far different on social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter for marketers than they are for conventional formats like television ads or direct marketing campaigns.
A more subtle approach is required because of the policy that many of the social networks do not allow direct solicitation of their members.
Even so, you can see that making money online on a place like Facebook can be done, just not as directly as with other types of revenue-making sites.
BEING GENUINE
One of the ways that marketing on Facebook differs tremendously than from other types of sites is that authenticity counts.
You can't just put up a Facebook page and expect to gain fans or to be befriended, unless you have something to offer people in these networks.
Generally, the currency is yourself and how interesting and how much you contribute to the community.
Set up a profile that shows who you are and why people would like to befriend you, and they will be more likely to associate with you.
Place tons of links and spam about your commercial ventures before generating a personal relationship with your audience and you're either likely to get ignored or to lose friends.
In the worst cases, the administrators of the site might suspend your account if you actively solicit people via Facebook email like you would during a regular Internet marketing campaign.
There are some things you can do on these sites to make money, and there are some that are clearly against the terms of service. Spamming people's inboxes for commercial purposes is strictly forbidden.
