Create a Social Networking Site and Monetize it

By now, most people have heard of Twitter, which is a microblogging tool that allows people to broadcast short updates of 140 characters.  It’s used by celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, who challenged CNN to see who would be the first to get 1 million followers.  (Kutcher won.)

It’s been banned by the NFL for use by players during the game.

It’s being used by every Tom, Dick and Harry with a (little) something to say.

But is it useful for small businesses?

Think about this:  according to the New York Times, more Twitter accounts belong to small businesses than to large companies.  And it makes sense, really.  So much of a small business’ success rests on word of mouth marketing.  And that’s what Twitter helps provide.

But here’s another reason to enter the world of tweeting:  Twitter also lets you as a small business owner or entrepreneur tap into a wealth of resources.

When you look at some of the active tweeters out there, you’ve got a real-time encyclopedia at your fingertips.  Social media experts like Chris Brogan, entrepreneurial advocates like Guy Kawasaki.  Experts from businesses that work with small businesses like Business Week’s Entrepreneur or Dell Small Business.  It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see what some of these folks are thinking, would it?

When you first log onto Twitter, one of the biggest stumbling blocks is figuring out how to find the people you want to get tweets from, or follow.  An extremely useful application that can help is Tweetdeck, which can be downloaded for free.  With Tweetdeck you can categorize your list of people to follow.  Whenever someone from your list sends a tweet, you can see it on your deck.

Check out Small Business Trend’s Ultimate Small Business Twitter list for an excellent start.

You can also set up a search for a phrase, such as “social media for small businesses” or “independent grocery stores” or even your name or the name of your business. Whenever someone makes a comment, positive or negative, discusses a trend or proposes a problem, you’ll be in the know.

Look for people in your industry or community as well to create a network of information that benefits you both.

Keep in mind that, despite the PR, Twitter is just one tool in your arsenal for communicating with your audience.  There are still plenty of others.

Small businesses can find success connecting with customers by setting up their own social networking sites, like those offered by rSitez.com.  There, businesses can create a community that encompasses a specific audience with similar interests.  Members can communicate through blogs, forums, articles, videos, photos, and chats about important issues.

So don’t think of Twitter as being an all or nothing proposition.  Instead of feeling the pressure of creating brilliant 140 character posts, think of how to funnel the up to the minute information on Twitter in a way that is convenient and useful for you.  And consider it one more tool to help your business grow.

Eventually, the rest will come.

Marilyn Monroe.  Brigitte Bardot.  Pamela Anderson.  Megan Fox.  Throughout time, people have been fascinated with photographs of beautiful women.

Kevin Rowe knows about this. He publishes calendars through high street retailers of up and coming glamour girls.  But he noticed that in his UK market, business was moving toward the Internet.

He initially began selling the hard copy calendars online.  “Previously, we sold calendars in our traditional website shop but this covered many varied categories and was not aimed at a focused market,” he said.

Targeting the appropriate customer this way was indeed a challenge.  The calendar models would take an active role in promoting the calendars through social media sites like Facebook and MySpace, but there was no cohesive way to bring all of those contacts together and build a fan base.

“We needed to build our own social networking platform giving us full control of content, communication and commerce options such as advertising and retail shops,” Kevin said.

Then, through an Internet search, Kevin found rSitez, which creates customized social networking sites. rSitez allowed Kevin’s online business, redhotglamourgirls.com, to develop one place where customers could browse, buy, and more.

Customers become members of the site with an easy signup.  Once that is completed, they can blog and chat, issue invitations to events and join groups. One of the biggest benefits for the members is the ability to make contact with the models and become fans.

For the customers, this is probably the biggest benefit.  “Naturally, having some of the UK’s most gorgeous women as their online friends is probably top of the list!” Kevin added.

While being able to create a site that was customized to his exact needs was the major selling point for using rSitez, Kevin also appreciated two other things rSitez offered: reasonable price and the ability to monetize the site through ads.

“The pricing structure was also attractive and allowing us full financial control of onsite advertising was also a great feature,” Kevin said.

rSitez offers five site plans, with monthly fees starting at $29.95.  Companies can start with one plan and expand as their needs grow.

In addition to earning money onsite through the sale of calendars, companies keep any money earned through advertising; unlike many sites, rSitez does not take a share of any advertising earnings.

Kevin knew what he wanted his site to accomplish.  rSitez helped him bring that idea to life, and his success is getting noticed.

“We have received a very positive reaction from our partners in the industry,” Kevin said.  “This includes the UK’s top model management companies and several major tabloid and magazine publishers who are all supporting our development.”

And for Kevin and redhotglamourgirls.com, that’s a very pretty picture.