Sqeeqee: Turning Social Networking Into Dollars and Cents

Leah Arnold-Smeets, PayScale
Aug 06, 2013


http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2013/08/sqeeqee-turning-social-networking-into-dollars-and-cents


Do you have a large social media following and wonder how you can make a few bucks off of your social influence? Well, one company claims to help you do just that. Sqeeqee (pronounced "squeaky") is a new social networking platform that provides a way for its users to monetize their social media sites through shared ad revenues.


(Photo Credit: StockMonkeys.com/Flickr)



Jenny Ta, Founder and CEO of Sqeeqee, wants to put the "users into the driver's seat [and allow] them to make real money while networking online." She calls this process "social networthing." In addition to the monetization factor, Sqeeqee has an impressive list of integrated features that include an e-commerce market, an internal search engine, a virtual stock market, crowdfunding, and charitable contributions options, coupons and daily deals, and mobile apps. This platform is intended to be a one-stop shop for individuals to cash-in on their online brands by doing what they normally (and frequently) do online -- post, share, and network on social media.

But don't quit your day job just yet. Let's cover the basics of what Sqeeqee provides its users:

1. E-commerce marketplace. (Similar to Amazon and eBay platforms.) For users to list, sell, or buy new or used items in their "store."

2. Internal search engine. (Similar to Google and Bing.) This feature allows users to search Sqeeqee to locate new revenue possibilities within the site.

3. Advertising campaigns. (Similar to Google Ads and Facebook Ads.) Users can advertise their own products or services, or they can have others advertise on their page. This feature is different from Google Ads and Facebook Ads in the sense that the users actual get a decent kick-back from their successful campaigns, as opposed to the bigger companies mentioned above that pocket a lot more of the revenue.

4. Crowdfunding. (Similar to Kickstarter and Indiegogo.) This feature provides users with a platform to pitch new ideas to their followers in hopes of collecting seed money from an investor or interested party. Social media has become a hub for crowdsourcing due to the fact that reaching people on a national and international basis is as easy as clicking a button or adding a tag or hashtag to your post. Sqeeqee offers its users crowdfunding/sourcing directly from their Sqeeqee site.

5. Coupons and daily deals. (Similar to Groupon or other "daily deal" sites that advertise sales for given products and services.) Sqeeqee allows its users to create and promote their coupons to their audiences without having to pay expensive fees to advertise their deals on third party sites. The customer never has to leave the Sqeeqee site to search products or services, locate deals, purchase products, and share their experience with their social media following.
So, what exactly does this mean for you? Basically, if you have a decent following and people take interest in what you're sharing online, then you may have the means to create an additional income stream through your own Sqeeqee site. Or, if you have a product or service that you want to begin advertising and selling online but don't have the means to pay for a separate commerce site and website, then Sqeeqee might be what you're looking for.

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