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Elliot Jones asks What is web 2.0 and how can it help my online business

Written by: Elliot Jones

Article Overview: Elliot Jones looks into and discusses the hype around web 2.0, hopefully bringing things into perspective ensuring businesses spend the correct amount of time on the different aspects of any marketing campaign and what are the expectations of online entrepreneurs with this new wave of media online.

Elliot Jones asks What is web 2.0 and how can it help my online business

Site owners are getting hyped up about the whole web 2.0 phenomenon making great stealth videos and uploading to YouTube, building a community of users so they can get their feedback and encourage discussion about their products and whatever else web 2.0 can do for them.

Let's step back for a moment and think about how marketers really relate to the web. Most marketers have built successful web sites, have an actionable analytics program, and are very savvy in SEO, SEM and paid search. Many have probably seen a significant increase in ROI based on these efforts. Likewise for customer support operations; self-service pretty much always trumps a customer service rep when it comes to cost.

There is a lot of discussion centering around Web 2.0 even though most experts can't really agree on what Web 2.0 actually means, but there's some consensus that it's about user-generated content, community, and long-tail effects. In short, Web 2.0 can open new channels and dialogues between you and your customers.

But things seem to have gotten out of hand. Recently someone seriously asked me if he should be producing some videos for YouTube that show off his product. I'll keep the product confidential, but it was in the same class of interest and excitement as motor oil and paper towels. It's not something people get too excited about, but it sells well and steadily. Why, I asked, would he want to put a video on YouTube? What would it accomplish? Why was he afraid he was missing out on the Web 2.0 phenomenon?

The hype has rocketed ahead of the reality. You tube is about social expression and a chance for everyone to capture his or her 15 minutes of fame. This isn't a bad thing, but it shouldn't dictate marketing strategy. The smart marketer realises some channels work and some don't. The smart marketer aims for the best ROI possible, regardless of channels and trends.

Let's turn the discussion about Web 2.0 on its head and start talking about ROI, sensible and appropriate investments, and marketing innovation rather than trend chasing.

Let's think about Web 2.0 and see if it makes sense. Hint: Business goals should be your guide.

Focus on being careful about what to expect. Sometimes new businesses and established businesses alike start a PPC, SEO or web design project with false expectations. Some companies and people that are not so technology savvy have sometimes been blown away with the hype surrounding what the internet can do for their business.

It is without doubt that the internet can do wonders for most businesses in certain instances, though it does take time for the effects of any of the stated campaigns to be fully felt. It is impossible to improve ranking position from nowhere to top 10 overnight especially within competitive industries. It takes months of hard work to achieve significant improvements in rankings - sometimes in excess of a year. Many businesses make the mistake of being impatient and expect instant results and when this is not delivered they give up too quickly.

Of course this is not always the case and there have been several cases of success even within competitive markets. Just be careful about your expectations and try to be as realistic as possible about what you want to achieve.

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Article Tags: customer service, web design, YouTube



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