Web 2.0 Marketing “Secrets”
Today’s Wall Street Journal features the article “The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World.”
I don’t know if I’d say there are any secrets contained in the article, but it is a well written common sense look at building relationships with your customers using Web 2.0.
Here are the main points they make:
1) Don’t just talk at consumers– work with them.
Web 2.0 is about transcending the one-way flow of information. A company blog may put a human face on the brand, but it doesn’t engage the consumer in the same way that a real community can. Encouraging your customers to talk to each other about your products is a fast, cheap and honest source of feedback that goes beyond what a survey or focus group can provide.
2) Give consumers a reason to participate
Some companies provide actual rewards in cash or products, but often the community itself is sufficient incentive. The key is to make it useful, well-moderated and see that the best contributors are recognized for their efforts.
3) Join the conversation outside your site
Consumers will talk about your brand and your products on other sites. Many successful companies monitor Digg, Del.icio.us and individual blogs for mentions of their products, and seek to engage users in conversations about their experiences and opinions.
4) Resist the temptation to sell sell sell
Members of online communities participate with the expectation that their ideas and opinions will be heard, not to become recipients of a one-way sales pitch. Through their participation, they’ll affirm your brand’s value better than you could anyway.
5) Don’t try to control it
Communities won’t always speak of you the way you want them to, but if you listen, you’ll find valuable feedback. Try to shut down negative opinions or dissent and you’ll shut down the entire community.
The article seems short on recommendations for how to proceed with this information. They encourage organizations to find employees who have a strong background in social networking in addition to traditional marketing expertise. They also encourage experimentation since no one solution works for every company.
If you’re trying to steer your company into building relationships with your customers using social media, this article may provide a useful lever for discussions with management decision-makers. There may be more insightful articles on the topic, but the fact that this one appears in the WSJ gives its citation instant credibility in the board room. Their recommendations are mostly right on track, and the case examples may help your upper managers to visualize how it may work for your customers.
Read the whole article (free for a limited time) at WSJ.com
When it comes down to defining internet marketing I don’t distinguish between traditional and internet marketing. To me, it’s simply all marketing. Everything has to be incorporated market a brand. There are no short-cuts.
Hi Jeff-
That sounds like a healthy approach. You definitely want an integrated message across all channels, but you can’t deny that each medium has its own set of challenges.
That’s nothing new. Direct marketing demands different techniques than brand advertising, for example. What’s new about the communications called “Web 2.0″ is a much greater emphasis on two-way communication, and empowering your customers to evangelize your brand to others.
The overarching rules that govern all marketing still apply. You’re not going to change your entire strategy just because Web 2.0 is now in your toolbox. But you will need to learn new tactics and skills if you want to make the most of those new tools.