Myspace: What’s New and Why Should You Care?

Remember Myspace from the early 2000’s, before Facebook was King? Well, forget everything you remember about it, and get reacquainted with the relaunched and rebranded version. It could be a powerful marketing tool for your brand.

Now backed by Justin Timberlake, it is centered on entertainment and connecting Gen Y with the broad entertainment industry. No longer just a music network, it now focuses on TV, games, movies, celebrities and anything related to entertainment. It has a new design that is user and business friendly, while still keeping its deep musical roots.

What’s New?

What is new, different and better about the new Myspace? Well, for starters:

• The new layout has been described by a number of social media experts as a cross between the wildly popular sites Tumblr and Pinterest.
• Myspace Music is included, and it helps artists reach audiences they might never get in front of otherwise.
• You can connect the new Myspace to Twitter and Facebook, and find friends on those sites.
• You can add songs and large music collections to your profile.
• You can share your Myspace status updates to Facebook and Twitter.
• Some profiles (it is assumed celebrities, musicians, and brands for now) will give analytical data.

Why Should Businesses Be on the New Myspace?

The marketing for the new Myspace is definitely focused on entertainment, particularly music. However, Myspace asks you how you see yourself at sign up, and offers these “labels” among others:

Almost every business or person will fit under one or more of these labels. For businesses, “Brand” is an excellent option, along with any others that fit. Carefully pick your categories, because at this point, there are extra features available for “Comedian,” “DJ/Producer,” and “Musician” accounts; these types of accounts can upload audio and video files and albums. Podcasters have utilized these types of accounts to upload podcasts as well.

The new Myspace allows one-way connections like Twitter and Google+; you can “follow” people without them approving your connection. Myspace has a search function to find people to follow, and you can connect anyone in your Facebook and Twitter accounts, too.

Businesses and brands should note that connections can customize their stream and show updates of certain types, like music, text, and photos. Be aware of this customization option and keep varying your update types to gain the most exposure. Interacting with others is as simple as commenting or sharing updates from other people.

While the new Myspace is still rolling out, your brand needs to be there if your audience is building a community there. Find a way to become involved and become part of their conversations. The future will see interviews, articles, and other content; and potentially a pay model similar to that of Facebook.

Small businesses that have any sort of connection to the entertainment business — including those that promote and market those industries — should consider creating a presence on the new Myspace platform. While Myspace continues to market to these creatives, people who write content, run talent agencies, promote live bands, or run a business that offers products or services these creatives might use, should network on Myspace.