DIGITAL MARKETING: Getting the most out of your Second Life

If you've read the press coverage about virtual worlds you may have already written off SL as a game or concluded it's not ready for any serious marketing. However, I think you'd be wrong on both counts.

The initial reasons why so many organisations see SL as an exciting new marketing channel are due to its almost exponential growth rate in users and its demographic make-up - a user base of men and women mostly in their early thirties. There has been some optimistic analyst predictions suggesting that more than three quarters of current Internet users will be using virtual worlds in some form within five years - although not necessarily SL.

Although the demographics and user population are important, it's not just a numbers game. What's interesting for marketers is the unique mix of communication methods available in this world to interact with consumers and businesses.