Among the many buzzwords that have come and gone since the rise of the Internet, the term Web 2.0 has become a catch-all phrase to describe the emerging platforms which enable us to interact online in new ways.
Representing the evolution of the Web as a one-way communications medium to one in which users can engage with each other to share information and even collaborate to achieve a common goal, the key idea behind Web 2.0 is that any user can generate his or her own content for viewing by a global audience.
A vast array of tools for getting and giving information on the web has surfaced giving rise to the era of social-networking sites (such as Face Book and LinkedIn), hosted information-sharing sites (like Wikipedia), data-hosting sites (like the popular photo-sharing destination Flickr) and blogging technology (like Typepad)-all of which fall under the umbrella of Web 2.0.
But what does this mean for your businesses? Are these tools pure hype or do they present legitimate opportunities to generate awareness-and revenue-for your company?
Many companies have taken full advantage of Web 2.0 applications, while others view it with trepidation. The crucial advantage of these applications is their ability for your marketing messages to be spread rapidly and inexpensively to literally millions of viewers. On the other hand, these kinds of platforms enable users to post negative or false comments-or even create entire web sites-in response to your efforts.
Obviously, when defining your Web 2.0 business strategy, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of each tool before taking the plunge.
Email Marketing
A form of permission advertising, “email marketing” basically means that customers have opted-in to your publicity announcements via their email addresses. It creates nurturing relationships with customers who have already expressed an interest in your products and services and can generate new sales and retain current clients.
The first step to develop an email marketing campaign, naturally, is to collect email addresses. Your web site should be set up to encourage people to submit their email address easily, usually by offering something in return such as a coupon or subscription to an e-newsletter. You can also collect addresses at your place of business, for example through a guest book, or at events.
Organizing and managing your list of addresses can be daunting, especially the larger it grows. Email marketing companies (http://www.delivra.com/ http://www.constantcontact.com/) can help you to secure your contacts, comply with anti-spam laws (it is important to comply with regulations governing the distribution of unsolicited email, a.k.a. “spam”), monitor the responses as well as create a design template to make your communications visually appealing.
Once you've established your list, you'll need to consider how you want to reach out to customers. You can generate revenue through email announcements about in-store sales or the availability of coupons. Or, you can use it to generate awareness about new products, key staff you have hired, or to share expertise on a topic that will interest your customers.
An e-newsletter keeps your company name in the minds of your customers while you move them across a path to purchase. If, for example, you own a garden center, you could create an e-newsletter that provides your customers with information on how to take care of their plants on a seasonal basis.
Email marketing can also be an effective way to establish a two-way conversation with your customers by asking for their feedback on something relevant to your business or industry in the form of a survey or some simple poll questions.
Blogging
Using software such as Typepad or Blogspot, it only takes a few minutes to open up a communications channel that expresses your unique point of view. Blogs, which can include text, links and pictures, enable readers to participate in the conversation by submitting comments or starting discussions around your posts.
Many businesses have started blogs, and they can be a very effective way of positioning yourself as an expert in your field, thereby engaging the attention of a group of consumers interested in the products or services you offer.
While blogs can serve as an excellent marketing tool for your business, be aware: Your blog entries shouldn't be too polished, too sales-oriented or too long, as readers will often be turned off by a hard sell. Instead, use a blog to give an authentic voice to your business and brand. It can be equally important to keep your blog current-especially if you want readers to engage with it on a regular basis or to pass your blog on to their friends and colleagues.
Social Networks
Sites such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com) are hugely popular, and with good reason. These social-networking sites present an opportunity to engage with like-minded, interconnected communities that relay messages with great ease and speed.
We are still in the early days of social networks, and their commercial possibilities are much debated. As a result, you might consider creating an account for your business in one or more of the social networks. But before you do, some research is in order to determine if there's a more specialized network that's most relevant to your business-there are social-networking sites for groups as diverse as the over-60s, booklovers and diabetics. You'll also need to spend some time creating compelling content. Savvy Web 2.0 audiences are very sensitive to overt marketing, so, as with blogging, your efforts have to be unique, engaging and authentic.
Targeted advertising on social-networking sites is a relatively new development (see http://www.facebook.com/ads/) that combines low entry price with the opportunity for very selective niche communication. These “social ads” could be a great starting place for you to test your online marketing messages among a pre-screened audience.
Social Bookmarking and RSS
Social Bookmarking sites (http://del.icio.us/ or http://digg.com/) let people share their favorite web destinations with others. The information on these sites is organized under “tags” that give a simple description of that content. Including links like “Add to digg” or “Add to del.ico.us” on your site can help you cast a wider net to attract new visitors. You can find a good video tutorial that will help you do this at http://tinyurl.com/yul2e6.
If you have content on your site that you update regularly, providing an RSS (“Real Simple Syndication”) feed for your visitors lets them receive automatic notifications of any update made. Subscribers are alerted when new information becomes available. You'll find information to help you create RSS feeds at http://www.make-rss-feeds.com/, and software at http://www.feedforall.com/.
Viral Marketing
The Subservient Chicken web site (www.subservientchicken.com) launched by Burger King in 2004 racked up 15 million hits in just the first five days, and 450 million hits to date. The idea behind this campaign, referred to as viral marketing, is to create a novel or unique concept that can be spread all over the web. It has become a popular tactic for many companies looking to generate awareness about their product or service quickly.
A word of caution here: While it's true that this technique can catapult a business in a matter of days or weeks, it's never guaranteed that your idea will be a hit. The success of a viral concept is governed not by you, but by the users who spread it around. And the public has become increasingly savvy to marketers' attempts to elicit a reaction for pure sales sake.
The real lesson for business owners to remember is that viral marketing is basically a Web 2.0 extension of word-of-mouth advertising-a free marketing device that has existed long before URLs and email. So before jumping in to create the next YouTube phenomenon, remember that the tactics don't have to be expensive or elaborate. In fact, it's usually the simplest messages that end up getting passed on.
If, for example, your boutique decided to hold a special sale for one day in which everyone whose name began with “J” was allowed one free item, you might find if you sent out an email to all your customers, they might just actually pass it on to every John and Jane they know. Other viral tools can be as simple as a “refer-a-friend” campaign or a “buy one, get one free” offer.
The Era of Radical Transparency
If it sounds disconcerting that information about your company may be circulated all around the web-with or without your permission-well, it can be! Any number of blogs could be posting material about your company right now, and it may not all be good. Welcome to the era of Radical Transparency.
There are many free tracking tools to keep you in touch with what's being said about you on a variety of Web 2.0 platforms (for a comprehensive list, see http://tinyurl.com/yrtjes). Just as important as it is to carefully choose which Web 2.0 tools you use, it's also important to leverage the same platforms to monitor mentions about your company. If you become aware of any negative postings about you or your company, you'll need to decide whether and how to reach out to the authors. Often it is advised to do some research first. Does the blogger have a significant audience? Is the negative information showing up on other sites? If so, you may choose to respond. But be careful not to post positive comments or responses under an assumed name. Making a personal connection with the author and pursuing your defence openly is often the best way either to correct an inaccurate perception or to put right a genuine mistake.
If you concentrate on providing an excellent product or service and clearly communicate what you do as an authoritative and trustworthy expert in your field, this transparency can serve to both protect and advance your reputation. Luckily, in the era of radical transparency, the web has a short memory and can be very forgiving. Most companies find that the benefits of Web 2.0 marketing far outweigh their concerns over lack of control. Web 2.0 has readily shown us, it's ultimately the users who are in control.