Successful Marketing Strategies in Web 2.0

A little revolution now and then is a good thing. Thomas Jefferson told us three centuries ago. Web 2.0 is a revolution in the way that potential customers learn about products and make buying decisions. If you successfully use the power of Web 2.0 to support your internet marketing, then this revolution can be a good thing for your business. So, what has changed with the advent of Web 2.0 and how can you take advantage of this revolution.

Web 2.0 has changed the importance of the individual in creating content as exemplified in the power of customer reviews on Amazon and the popularity of Wikipedia, news blogs, and social networking sites like YouTube.

Web 2.0 demands that site content no longer be relatively static; it is not enough to update your web site’s marketing content quarterly or annually. You must be more agile and responsive and you must change the way that information about your products or services is communicated.

Web 2.0 allows customers to affect potential customers in ways that were unavailable before using blog posts and social networks became de rigueur. Instead of complaining about or praising your product only to their family, now a customer can quickly tell the entire world. And, most important to you, their views have the same, if not more credibility, than that of your marketing staff.

What can you do to use Web 2.0 internet marketing opportunities to your advantage?

First, you need to tune into what is being said about you and where it is being said. You should routinely track on-line comments about your organization or your products. Next, join in. Add your own comments to the blogs or upload short videos to YouTube. Be honest about who you are and what you represent. If there is misinformation, provide corrections. If there is a problem, describe how you solved it or why it won’t happen again. Ask questions.

Web 2.0 strongly favors content that provides real information. Who better than you to provide that information to potential buyers? This is not a chance to restate your marketing hype like a political stump speech. This is a chance to provide specifications, background, how-to, options, plans, and data on new products. You should build or edit information on your organization in Wikipedia, which now serves as the beginning search choice for product information for millions of potential buyers. You should consider opening your site to comments from your customers to which you respond with comments, suggestions, or solutions. You can build an organization or product profile for social networking sites and offer content that attracts links from other sites by offering white papers or briefings. Be sure to add new content frequently to your site and let your customers and visitors know that there is new information available.

Web 2.0 has placed new power in the hands of consumers. But your strategic internet marketing plan can effectively leverage the inherent capabilities of Web 2.0 through tagging, linking, consumer-friendly text, and value added information that will help you win the internet marketing war.

by Mary-Anne van Adrichem, www.wishwritersnetwork.com