“When my book came out a year ago, there was no marketing budget for it,” recalls Abrams, who bills herself as a “smart, high-energy, big mouth” who likes to have fun. But getting the word out about a comedic retelling of a classic German fable is no easy task. Taking a page from comedian Dane Cook – who credits some of his success to his popular MySpace page – Abrams turned to social networking, a process by which communities of people with shared interests interact online.

After learning about BlackPlanet, and its popularity among African American users, Abrams created an online, celebrity-oriented talk show that would serve as a publicity vehicle for her novel. Less than two months later, Abrams had about 300,000 friends. That number has since increased to 500,000 – all “with no marketing budget whatsoever,” Abrams says.

Through the social networking site, Abrams also created a virtual book tour that resulted in 10,000 unit sales of Dare. “After those sales, the publisher took notice and developed a real, 5-city book tour for me,” says Abrams, who set up a dedicated social network page to market the virtual tour, which attracted 200,000 online subscribers. “Using the targeted social networking sites,” Abrams says. “I’ve been able to hone in on my audience and grow my business.”

Strength in numbers

In  the past few years, a slew of black-oriented social networking sites have cropped up, and today include BlackinTouch.com, Tribefly.com, UpliftthePeople.com, AllUrban.com, and BlackPeopleOne.com, just to name a few. According to Keith Bowen, chief revenue officer for New York-based Interactive One L.L.C., which owns BlackPlanet, about 42% of all blacks online are using social networking. “That number is expected to grow as more and more people dive into online social networking and experience its benefits,” Bowen says.

Small to midsized firms that lack the resources needed to market their products and services in more traditional ways often see the most gains from their social networking activities. By devoting just a few minutes a day to updating a blog, uploading a video clip (of a new product demonstration, for example) or responding to customer feedback, entrepreneurs can not only interact with potential customers, but also maintain ties with existing subscribers.

Setting the stage

To get there, users must first visit the site of interest, register, and then create a profile that others can access. Like any type of Web content, the profile should be updated regularly (at least daily, although weekly or monthly can also work, depending on the business, says Bowen), tailored to your audience and targeted at the site’s specific demographic. “Make sure your product and its message matches the environment in which it gets placed,” advises Marc Edwards, founder of black social networking site Tribefly.Setting the stage

For example, Edwards says most mainstream advertisements rely on a “catch-all” messaging strategy that doesn’t translate well in the social networking environment. “With social networking, you’re not shouting to a large mass of potential customers, but rather you are communicating your point of view at a small, intimate gathering,” ” says Edwards.

Also understand that social networkers are the consummate “flippers and skimmers” who spend just a few minutes or less on a site. Keep the message short, appealing and to the point, says Edwards, and don’t forget the most critical element of social networking: the bonds that you can establish – and maintain – with past, present, and future customers.

To black entrepreneurs looking to tap the benefits of social networking, Abrams says to go beyond the “build it and they will come” mentality and really mix it up online in a way that helps grow your business. “Start with a simple blog on a social networking site, and update it daily,” Abrams says. “Then, make yourself available to interact with others online and become a part of the community.”

Web Resource:

Black Business Space

“Radio One has been interested in expanding in the online space for a number of years,” says Tom Newman, president and COO of the company’s interactive unit. “We’re a leader in radio, obviously focused on the urban market place. This immediately puts us number one online in the urban space.”

With more than 18 million members, BlackPlanet.com was rated the most popular social networking site targeting a multicultural group in 2007 and the fourth most popular social networking site overall by New York-based market research firm Hitwise. Company executives hope Radio One’s clout will propel the site even further.

“When the team at Radio One started showing interest in aligning their Internet efforts with ours, it made sense to put the companies together,” says Ben Sun, CEO of CCI. Had the merger not happened, “BlackPlanet would still continue to grow, but we felt like we could jumpstart and take it to another level by leveraging the cross-platform assets that Radio One brings to the table.”

The acquisition of CCI comes at a time in which Radio One (Nasdaq: ROIA) has been selling radio stations to reduce its debt load, most recently unloading KRBV-FM in Los Angeles to Bonneville International for about $137.5 million. Its losses swelled to $386 million last quarter.

The company, which also owns the Internet site BlackAmericaWeb.com, wants to expand its interactive efforts, but it is a strategy some analysts question. “We believe that [Radio One] completed this acquisition to further its digital media initiatives,” says Marci Ryvicker, an analyst with Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC. “However, we are disappointed that it chose to purchase interests in non-core assets instead of paying down debt.”

Radio One executives, however, see the CCI acquisition as an avenue to strengthen the company by increasing advertising revenue. “It’s an opportunity to allow our marketers to reach customers in a way that Radio One may have never been able to reach,” Newman says. Cross-platform advertising campaigns that encompass the Internet and radio are among the initiatives the company will pursue, Sun adds.

CCI’s BlackPlanet.com targets the African American online community, MiGente.com targets the Latino community, and AsianAve.com is a site for Asian Americans. In addition to its 53 radio stations in 16 urban markets, Radio One owns cable network TV One and the print magazine Giant, putting it in a position to be reach urban markets across all media.

“Radio One is not looking at BlackPlanet to be the only piece in the puzzle,” Sun says. “They’re looking at a number of efforts online combined with BlackPlanet that would just make us that much more important to African American urban media consumers. It’s a really great alignment to show value to consumers and take a much stronger leadership position in the eyes of advertisers and marketers.”