The Marketing Message Blog

What can you do with Web 2.0? It's up to you.

Very interesting post, 'THE WEB 2.0 WAVE--WHY IT’S NOT A FAD' from Patty Seybold's Outside Innovation blog.  When referring to Web 2.0 technology she says, “If we build it, they’ll use it and take it with them, and combine it with whatever else they’re doing.”   

The essence of Web 2.0 is not the tools we create but the creative use we make of them.  The genius of creativity is to take two things that have never been combined and make something new and wonderful. 

We all know that online business owners who want to get ahead of the competition, need to think about helping customers do things in new ways.  The key here is that customers will offer these ideas and they're probably better than yours.  Are you listening?

What exactly is Web 2.0?

The Web 2.0 debate rages on.  There is an interesting article in btobonline.com by Richard Karpinski called, What exactly is Web 2.0.  He provides 3 interesting descriptions: 1) Web 2.0 feels more like an application that a static page; 2) Web 2.0 is not linear in usage; 3) Web 2.0 is about user participation, collaboration and contribution. 

The best definition comes from Shiv Singh at Avenue A, who says that "it puts the user at the center of the experience."  This means that the user is in control, a frightening thought for large b-to-b companies; only slightly less so for b-to-c companies.

How can small companies make Web 2.0 work to their advantage?  Jump into the social media fray and look at participating in sites like Digg.com, Del.icio.us and Reddit.  Make sure your blog lets users link to these sites easily.  The key is to create content that people want to share.

BtoB Podcasts Have Potential

The July 10th issue of BtoBonline.com reports on a KnowledgeStorm/Universal McCann survey that says that 55% of respondents who currently receive information in the form of a white paper or analyst report would prefer to consume it as a podcast.  Yet, few BtoB marketers have experimented with the medium. 

I'm not sure why marketers are reluctant to test this; consumer marketers have embraced the medium.  I think BtoB marketers think that white papers must be dry and boring to have credibility.  Check yourself if you believe this.  Nothing inherently boring and tedious to read will trump an interesting well presented audio. 

The key here is creating something that is not a replica of the white paper.  For example, don't have someone read the white paper into a microphone and expect great results.  You need to work at creating something that holds the listener's attention.  Perhaps it's laziness.  It's very easy to keep circulating the same white papers year in and year out.  Experiment, try a podcast and see what happens.

Technorati tags: podcast podcasting BtoB Web+2.0 IT+Marketing

More about an idea from Seth Godin's Seminar

As I mentioned in my previous post, my thinking now, thanks to Seth Godin is that an internet marketer's number one job is to make it easy to tell their story.  So I started thinking about how to make it easier for my clients to do this.

When I begin a new website redesign, I always work on website strategy first.  I create a Mind Map of the home page which helps me strip out all the graphics and persuasion language.  I look at what the home page actually asks me to do.   If it's too cluttered or there is no compelling link, I know we need to start there.   

Next, I look at the customer's product or service story.  If you are going to make your story easy to tell, you have to start on your home page.  Most marketers are not approaching their story that way.  Their stories are usually loaded with features and short on benefits.  That's a hard story to tell to others.

I am reading several books about story-telling to see what ideas I get about making it easier for marketers to tell their story (see reading list).

Technorati tags: internet+marketing seth+godin website+design

Seth Godin's June 15th seminar

I attended Seth Godin's seminar yesterday in NYC and as expected it was amazing.  If you have the opportunity to attend one of these, don't hesitate.  It was jam-packed with new ideas and ways to implement change - in your thinking and in your organization.

One of his key notions is about "sneezers" who spread the word about your product or service.  His "Fashion/Permission Complex" takes this to the next level by using Web 2.0 technology to enhance your ability to tell your story. 

My company's tagline is "make it easy to buy" because I believe that is the essence of what it takes to be successful online.  Based on what Seth was talking about, I think the next iteration of it should be "make it easy to tell your story."  If you are an online marketer, that is what you should be working on now.

Technorati tags: Seth+Godin web+2.0 viral+marketing

Are All Websites Alike? —Web 2.0 Marketing for Small Business

In his June 9th article in Fortune Magazine David Kirkpatrick says that "egalitarianism is the under-appreciated watchword of new media."  He goes on to say that all websites are alike. 

This is a key notion for web 2.0 marketing for small businesses— media-rich conversations.  Any company with a website is capable of communicating with their audience in the same way GM or GE can.  You can send newsletters, post audio, create a video and blog.  Your audience can respond and comment using a variety of media. Your audience cares about the message, not who the sponsor is.  The playing field is level. 

Small businesses should get over the notion that it takes a huge marketing budget to get and keep customers.  The currency in this new marketplace is ideas and the way in which you communicate them.  We've all seen cheaply produced videos that have become viral hits. 

Small businesses should change their attitude and make use of what Web 2.0 technology has made possible.

Technorati tags:  web 2.0 online+marketing small+business

Do Marketers Have A Love/Hate Relationship With Web 2.0?

With the advent of Web 2.0, it appears that online marketers have a growing 'love/hate' relationship with the technology.  They love the expanded reach they have to customers.  But those customers also have the ability to analyze their products, compare prices and share information with the click of a mouse. 

As Tivo users know, there's no going back.  Once you can find the best products and prices and talk to users of that product, you're not going back to the old method. The days of swallowing a marketing message whole and buying it at the price you find it is over.

So what's an online marketer to do?  Here are three things you can try:

1. Make sure you start a blog and use RSS (real simple syndication) to get your information to interested customers.  I knew my thinking had changed a year ago when I didn't have time to finish an online article I was reading.  I decided I'd grab the feed for later, when I realized it was on a website that didn't have a feed. I was completely put off.  Wow, that attitude woke me up.  The feed would have allowed me to keep getting more information from a company who wanted to sell me something.  Lost sale!

2. Stop thinking that web 2.0 is for 'techies.'  Anyone who can use a computer to check his email can sign up for an email feed of your blog.  If you send out a newsletter, put a link to your blog in it and list your most recent posts.

3. Welcome the opportunity to hear from your customers.  This one is scary.  Negative comments about your product aren't the end of the world if you listen and learn. 

Technorati tags: web 2.0 online+marketing small+business