Marketing in Second Life

Promoting your website

If you have not already set up your website in your profile, be sure to do that before you do anything else. One of the most popular things to do in second life is to check out other avatar's profiles. This is a sort of non-invasive way to look at a snapshot of your avatar without having to ask too many questions. If someone checks your profile and sees that you have a website, you immediately have an opening for a conversation about your product or service.

I have personally been asked several times within Second Life about my website, and having done a bit of testing, have found that the best site to put up is my squeeze page for my list. I have tried the actual product pages, and while that does yield some results, I have noticed a quite larger response with the list sign up site. People can sign up for my list and not even tell me, which allows them to be anonymous. Some Second Life residents prefer to be anonymous regarding their real, "first life" names.

The website is actually shown on your profile, not just your link. So just by clicking through your profile, your prospect is viewing your site. Add your site by editing your profile and typing the URL in the tab under "web".

In addition to putting up your website, be sure to use some key terms in the area where you describe yourself. Someone doing a search in world for your service or product will be more likely to come across your profile in the results. The search system very complex, and is very handy for those who wish to be found. In addition to putting your info in your profile, a simple, small classified ad is available for as much or as little as you wish to pay. This will increase your results even more.

Tip: Even though you may not have a seasonal product, you can increase your search results by changing your classified ad frequently with verbiage which reflects the current season. Whether it is the holidays, tax time, or dog days of summer, anything seasonal is hot... (Pardon the pun).

Networking

Groups in Second Life are your best asset for networking. There are groups on every topic in every genre. Remember that Second Life is a direct reflection of first life (real life). Whatever organizations or clubs one is involved with in real life, they are likely to be involved with in Second Life. In addition, since Second Life is also a fantasy world, you will find quite creative groups on way out subjects. Figure out what might be a conducive topic to support your product or service, do a search on that keyword, and join away. You may be a member of 25 groups at any one time.

Be active in your groups by attending functions and posting to group chat when allowed. Sometimes starting a conversation to a group is considered spam, so be careful to read the group charter before. You are making yourself known as an expert on your product, so be sure that when you present yourself to your groups you contribute in ways which directly reflect your credibility.

In addition to joining groups, you can also create your own group. This has its advantages because you can control who you invite, set up your own events, and create your own agenda.

In addition to joining groups, befriend people. It is not considered polite to send a friend request to someone you do not know yet, but it is certainly okay to give out your card. Most of the time when I give out my card, I get a friend request in response, which is even better. To give out your card, right click on the avatar you wish to give it to, then "more" and "give card".

This way you are not being invasive, and they have your information for further contact. The social scene in Second Life lends itself very well to networking, since avatar's names are (most of the time) displayed above their head and often a group or association "tag" along with it. This opens the gate for an ice breaker conversation already, and you will find that much of the time avatars are friendly about small talk. Remember though that Second Life is world wide and not all avatars speak English. The language barrier does exist, so if someone is silent they may just not be able to understand your language.

Being Buzz worthy in Second Life

In Second Life, as in real life, you will build a reputation. If you are already well known as a marketer, branding yourself will be as easy as broadcasting your Second Life name. When someone speaks highly of your avatar, this is a reflection of you. Viral marketing works in Second Life as quickly if not faster than in real life. If you have an exciting event coming up, your friends and fellow group members will be eager to share it with their friends, etc. For example, soon after the violence in Burma, someone decided to host a peace chain to support victims. The word spread like wildfire, and within a few hours, hundreds of Avatars were linking hands in support of peace. It certainly did worlds of good for the reputation of the landowner who set it up as well.

If you own a public area where you regularly provide fun activities, (again, going with the seasonal theme is very helpful in bringing people to you) this will increase your popularity and make people want to befriend you and know you even more. One of my favorite places in Second Life to visit is a small club where the owner changes the décor every single day! She also hosts theme parties and costume contests several times a week. The cost of owning land in Second Life is still relatively inexpensive. Put out a tip jar, and if people are having a good time they will tip the venue. This helps to cover your overhead.

Approximately 1.5 million people log on to Second Life every 30 days. This may not be as big as Google, but it is a group of people already targeted to a certain extent, in that they are somewhat computer savvy, likely are at least moderate income earners, and enjoy using the computer. Using this to your advantage will most certainly help you to find new customers and joint venture partners. A few months ago, Pat O'Bryan, bestselling author of "Your Portable Empire" Launched that very book within Second Life. There is a regular group of marketers who meet up in Second Life at his "portable empire island" (SL URL is listed at the end of this ebook). This is an excellent way to network with other marketers. I have made many friends there and we started the first mastermind group in Second Life from Portable Empire Island.

Your name is your brand

If you already have a Second Life avatar, then use it if you feel your name is conducive to your marketing efforts. If it is something ridiculous and counter-productive, you may want to set up a second avatar to use just for your marketing in Second Life. You may have two avatars without having to pay for a second account.

When choosing your name, decide first if your primary focus in marketing outside of Second Life is based on your real life name. If that is so, then you will need to choose a name which is very close to your real name. A whole lot of names are taken, so the best advice I can give is to make your whole name your "first" name in Second Life and choose a last name which supports in someway what you do. You get to make up your first name, but have to choose your last name from their list. So your name would end up being something like JohnJones McGillicutty, for example.

If you do not particularly care to market your real name, and then make your first "name" be something directly related to your product or service. For example if you sell an ebook on how to make video products, your name could be "Videomaker Watanabe". This helps to cue people you may run into over and over again who you are and what you do. They may even introduce you as a videomaker extraordinaire....! You will find people coming up with a shortcut nickname anyway, so do not worry if it is long and hard to pronounce.

Whatever name you decide on, be sure to blast it to everyone you know. There may be friends who already have a Second Life presence who can help you get your name out there. Networking using the real world is certainly another way to get your Second Life name known. Send it to your list, add it to your websites, and talk it up on your blogs. Anything fresh and different will get your readers' attention. Marketers are only beginning to see the advantages of using Second Life as a new medium. Jump on in and get started! The earlier you do, the more advantage you will have on your competition who don't figure out this tool until later down the road!

Resources/ links                                                      9

Linden Blog:

http://blog.secondlife.com/

Second Life periodicals:

http://del.icio.us/secondlife/news

Second Life Insider: 

http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2006/07/20/newbie-tip-where-should-i-go/

Glossary of Second Life Terms:  http://secondedition.wordpress.com/sl-glossary/

Second Life Magazine: http://secondlifemag.blogspot.com/2004/08/newbie-2-newbie.html

KK Dallagio's SL blog:  http://kkdallagio.wordpress.com/

Approaching people about your product or service in Second Life 

is much easier and more fun than real life! 

Second Life makes it super simple with the tools available for you, 

and gives you the opportunity to find the perfect customer or joint 

venture partner without having to make cold calls or sending out 

tons of emails. 

Residents of Second Life have the opportunity to set up their profile in such a way that enables you to tell right from the beginning whether or not they may be a good match for you, or your product or service.

I hope you have found this is short guide helpful, with some basic example of ways I have found to be effective, as well as some suggestions from my other marketing friends in Second Life.

For in-world help, please feel free to contact me in world. My Second Life Avatar is "KK Dallagio"

Good luck! Hope to be talking to you in world soon!

By Karen Kay /aka KK Dallagio

The contents of this guide are in no way endorsed by, affiliated with, or sanctioned by Second Life, Linden Labs, or any of the trademarks associated therewith. 

I write this with the assumption that you have some knowledge of getting around in second life. If you do not yet have a Second Life account, you can sign up for one free at http://secondlife.com/