More Good Marketing Advice for SL Hopefuls

I know there are lots of folks who say “good marketing advice” is a contradiction in terms, but let’s face it: Second Life, and virtual worlds like them, ceased being private little worlds unto themselves a long time ago. So, we need to make the best of it and try to help outside marketers use the world properly — not make more of a mess than they have.

And who would be the best tourguide for this? None other than Jiggy Stardust (Greg Verdino in RL) , who has about the best handle on marketing in virtual worlds. Smart guy, that Jiggy!

If you’re a marketer who is thinking about coming in to SL, or you’re already here and you’re wondering why your build is falling flat, you should read Jiggy/Greg’s 7 Tips for Real-World Businesses in Second Life. I’ll summarize but I do recommend you read the whole post for yourself as part of the due diligence you need to do in order to succeed.

The seven points are:
– Get to know the cultural landscape.
– Improve, don’t invade.
– Involve and engage.
– Make your site easy to use. (Greg said “prioritize usablity;” I translated.)
– Leave your parachute at home.
– Understand the technical limitations.
– Work with in-world businesses.

These tips came from a new whitepaper, Leave Your Parachute At Home: Seven Tips for Real-World Businesses in Second Life, published by the virtual-worlds agency Elastic Collision, based on results of a survey taken in SL last fall. (I think I participated in it!) It’s an excellent guide, worthwhile reading for prospective businesses and those who have already established a beachhead in SL, even longtime operations. Download and read; it’s worth your time.