Facebook, MySpace, and a handful of other social networks are running on high.  They are growing at an exponential pace and some seem to think that they threaten the search engines.  Will Social networks become more popular than using search engines?

Some companies are already integrating social networks into their marketing plans, but is this more than just a wise short-term move.  What are the lon-term advantages, if any?

Facebook is revolutionizing the way social networks do business, allowing companies and individuals to market and sell products and services through their site. I think this will become the new trend in years to come, and the early adopters will stake themselves out to a sizable lead, while the rest of the business world catches up.  People make Facebook and MySpace their home pages on a daily basis, and the number of people who do so continues to grow.

I feel businesses are cheating themselves of the opportunity to make a lot of money in the future if they don’t consider social network marketing as a piece of their future.  I do think that social networks will one day evolve into some new feature that we haven’t yet seen.  But until that happens you or your company should include social network marketing as a part of your overall marketing strategy.  While parents have the money now, the kids are the future moneyholders, and kids are savvy on the Internet and they utilize social networks.  Don’t wait another day to investigate the possibility of adding social networks to your marketing plan.

Reports from Internet Outsider is that Microsoft might be in the market to pickup FaceBook for a hefty sum of $6 billion. Especially considering FaceBook is on pace to generate $30 million this year. Although actual valuation of FaceBook is listed at $12 billion. I don’t expect this deal to go through because FaceBook is on pretty firm ground and have turned away large offers in the past.

Companies using an Affiliate Program as part of their marketing strategy can expect that a well-run Affiliate Program will earn 10%-20% of gross sales.  Affiliate Marketing is a great way for a company to market to the masses across multiple mediums.  Affiliate Marketing allows a company to market their products/services on websites, blogs, Social Networks, Email, PPC, and many other ways that a company may not have the time or resources to advertise otherwise.  Affiliates are a good, cheap, yet lucrative addition to any company’s marketing strategy.

I had signed up for Squidoo a while back and I finally got around to making a lens. I’m still working with it but I spit out a pretty rudimentary page. Check it out and let me know what you think.