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It seems that the moment internet marketers discovered that My Space was a profitable business tool, social networks geared toward business began popping up. I’m not saying it’s a new thing, but lately there have been some great social networks opening that are designed for internet marketers. Though the networks vary in features, they are all based on the same general concept of other popular social networking sites. The two I’m discussing in this article – Apsense and Free IQ – are my favorites of the new IMSNs (Internet Marketing Social Networks) popping up all over the internet.

Apsense

This new IMSN is in pre-launch right now. You need an invite code to join (the link above includes one) for free. If you’re one of the first 2,500 members you will be given the chance to upgrade to a VIP membership for free for one year. The VIP membership costs $19.95 a month. That’s a $240 savings without spending a dime. I honestly can’t figure out what the benefits of the VIP membership are, but I’m guessing it has to do with an increased number of times your ads are shown and/or the number of groups you can create. The site says “click here” for membership comparisons, but there isn’t a link attached.

Aside from the standard social network sites features of messaging, adding friends and customizing your own page, you also have the option to blog on the site. On social networking sites, I tend to create one blog post linking to my main blog. It’s a good way to build some links and also you won’t spread yourself too thin trying to post on several different blogs daily. I think being a member of social networking sites is a great way to build your business, but it’s also very important not to overextend yourself. Be careful that you don’t get caught up and spend too much time on social networking sites. They can be fun and addictive so make sure you remember that you’re there for business.

Apsense has some interesting extras that make it unique. Apsense Express is an application you install on your desktop to serve ads. Desktop marketing tools (like Desktop Lightning) are becoming more popular as people become less wary of willingly installing advertising applications on their PCs. These programs aren’t adware or spyware, they are legitimate viral marketing applications that allow you to broadcast directly to your network. As more and more of these types of applications are created, more people will realize that this is not malicious software. It’s really just the next logical step for internet marketing; joining together traditional ad formats with the ability to deliver instantly and to a targeted audience.

For a site in pre-launch, Apsense is very promising. There are some features that aren’t very clearly explained, but I’ll give the creators the benefit of the doubt and assume that’s because the site is still in development. Overall, I’d recommend joining now so you can get in on the ground floor and watch this site really come to life.

Free IQ

This site is also still in prelaunch, but is already really alive with active and excited members. Free IQ was founded by Brad Fallon, search engine optimization expert, e-commerce business owner and overall internet marketing mastermind. He saw the popularity of social networking and the ever-increasing interest in internet marketing and realized that the two would create the perfect marriage. Free IQ has all the usual social networking features, but is also packed with tons of internet marketing bells and whistles.

Not only can you share ideas with Free IQ, you can actually share and sell products. You simply upload your product, enter all the pertinent information and other Free IQ members will be able to view and purchase it. Not only does this make impulse buying from other members a real possibility, it also can save marketers a fortune in bandwidth. Because the digital product is hosted on the Free IQ servers, you don’t necessarily have to host it on your own domain. This alone would make membership to the site worth a monthly fee.

There isn’t a fee though. In fact, there aren’t fees associated with anything on the Free IQ site, unless you decide to purchase another member’s products. If you have a product on CD or DVD and you’re not sure how to format it for download, you can send the disc to Free IQ. They will convert it to the correct format and upload it to your product page. And they don’t even charge for that.

Web 2.0 isn’t going away anytime soon and that means social networks are here to stay as well. As time goes by and the technology behind Web 2.0 applications becomes less of a mysery, I believe we will see the birth of more and more specialized social networking sites like the ones I just discussed. Free IQ and Apsense offer perfect opportunities to market your product, your business and yourself. Safelists aren’t dead yet, but they sure lack the power to deliver laser-targeted visitors who are already familiar with you and what you have to offer. Even in the age of remote communication, there is still no sales tactic more powerful than personal contact. For this reason, Web 2.0 networking sites are perhaps the most effective marketing tool for any internet entrepreneur.

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Sara Christensen is a 9 to 5 techie with a BA in English and internet marketing dreams. She currently publishes the blog, Pajama Professional a source for free and inexpensive opportunities to make money online, blog reviews and recommended resources for marketers. She also likes chicklit, oil pastels and the color green.

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