Making Sense of Marketing 2.0
StumbleUponThe buzz-word of the moment is Web 2.0, but what does this actually mean, and how can it bolster the marketing message? Simon Conroy, CEO of Madgex, looks at what this new trend is and how marketers can evaluate its worth...
The broadband revolution is sparking a new battle of the
brands. Its affordability, availability and penetration in the
UK mean that online offerings are becoming as, if not more,
important than the in-store experience...
By Simon Conroy
[Register and post your own comments on this report below...]
Site visitors are becoming increasingly demanding, and marketers need to address these needs. After TV, broadband is the second most consumed media in this country, and it’s vital that marketers ensure they are up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in a space which is often a fearful place to the less technically savvy.
With competition on the web increasing all the time, marketers can no longer afford neglect their online brands.
Although it’s essential to stay on top of the latest web trends the key is to evaluate whether each new trend will add value to the brand, satisfy customer requirements or help the company remain competitive in the marketplace. The buzz-word of the moment is Web 2.0, but what does this actually mean, and how can it bolster the marketing message?
Web evolution = people + technology
The first thing to be clear about is that Web 2.0 is not a software launch. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the private-sector, non-profit organisation that co-ordinates the Internet, has not issued a new release of the Web. Instead, Web 2.0 can be thought of as the maturing medium, which is evolving to become increasingly orientated toward interaction and rudimentary social networks.
In other words, it is an evolution involving new technology rather than being a technology itself. Websites have grown to become much more than catalogues of information. Users want quality, interactive, online experiences rather than surfing between layers of webpages or sites.
Web 2.0 is transforming the web and the way visitors use it. It is a conduit to interaction, rather than a navigation tool for a multitude of pages. It supports social networks, community-based ranking systems and a rich user experience through emerging web technologies such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) and Application Program Interfaces (APIs). It also offers users open data formats – sharable, editable, “create your own” web applications.
But Web 2.0 is a tricky proposition for the marketer. It cannot be pinned down to one exact definition or technology. It is still very much an organic, work in progress; an ideal of sharing and participation, rather than publishing and declaration.
In fact Tim O’Reilly, of the eponymous publishing house that organised the first Web 2.0 Conference, has described Web 2.0 as “an attitude not a technology”, suggesting that it is more of a cultural change in the Web’s development. But how can marketers embrace this change, reflect it in their websites and how can it benefit the brand?
Can marketers get the Web 2.0 attitude?
Web 2.0 presents marketers with the opportunity to create a compelling online brand and user experience. Lower technology barriers, such as bandwidth costs, and develop new web technologies adhering to well defined standards, marketers can integrate social software and services onto their websites at little cost as Web 2.0 technologies are cheap and easy to maintain. Marketers need to be confident and work with web developers to pioneer new, engaging applications by taking advantage of emergent online techniques.
But how does it help? Monetising the social network can be achieved through highly targeted tailored but definitely not mainstream advertising. There is a new generation of brand aware, web savvy consumers, who are advertising adverse. Managing advertising and messaging across multiple platforms and ensuring that it is neither annoying nor repetitive is the key challenge for marketers. However, if you can manage the message in the right way and be accepted, the opportunities for penetration and engagement with your target market are huge.
Web 2.0 in action shows the way ahead for marketing
There are already a number of interactive sites that are superb examples of how Web 2.0 has helped companies remain competitive by rejuvenating communication and marketing messages. Jobster.com uses social networking to fill positions, using the central tenets of Web 2.0 to drive this multi-million dollar company’s business. Etsy.com is a fantastic example of a retail store that reaped the Web 2.0 benefits by aligning strong brand messages with core features which drive sales. American Express also uses Web 2.0 technology to improve the richness of the user experience, even for filling in an application form.
Weaving Web 2.0 into the online offering can empower marketers to leverage the opportunities in this space and help bolster the brand. Web 2.0 can be seen as having inherent values of trust, usability, vibrancy and sharing. If a brand can be associated with these values, it will be dramatically strengthened.
Think before you leap
But a word of warning, existing, established brands claiming to have embraced Web 2.0 can run into some serious problems. It is important to remember that this is a pull and not push environment. It is a classic case of “if you need to shout about it, you don’t know what you are talking about.”
Marketers need to ensure that they fully evaluate each possibility Web 2.0 has to offer, only integrating valuable functions onto their websites, rather than jumping on the bandwagon. User needs must be assessed by determining “What would our clients love?” and then creating Web 2.0 technologies to deliver the results. Testing these technologies with focus groups, friendly clients and usability testers is also vital – something may be great in theory but not work in practice.
Websites and technologies date quickly, and with the rapid penetration of broadband, users are becoming increasingly demanding. Don’t let them down with outdated website design and features, find out what they really want and give it to them. As technology continues to evolve, barriers around website design continue to fall and the human brain faces less restraint on the art of the possible, Web 2.0 will come to influence most aspects of how we interact with the internet. The only remaining question is what will Web 3.0 look like?
About the Author:
Simon Conroy is CEO for Madgex, the UK market leader in B2B web publishing systems. For more information, please go to: www.madgex.com
By Simon Conroy
[Register and post your own comments on this report below...]
Site visitors are becoming increasingly demanding, and marketers need to address these needs. After TV, broadband is the second most consumed media in this country, and it’s vital that marketers ensure they are up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in a space which is often a fearful place to the less technically savvy.
With competition on the web increasing all the time, marketers can no longer afford neglect their online brands.
Although it’s essential to stay on top of the latest web trends the key is to evaluate whether each new trend will add value to the brand, satisfy customer requirements or help the company remain competitive in the marketplace. The buzz-word of the moment is Web 2.0, but what does this actually mean, and how can it bolster the marketing message?
Web evolution = people + technology
The first thing to be clear about is that Web 2.0 is not a software launch. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the private-sector, non-profit organisation that co-ordinates the Internet, has not issued a new release of the Web. Instead, Web 2.0 can be thought of as the maturing medium, which is evolving to become increasingly orientated toward interaction and rudimentary social networks.
In other words, it is an evolution involving new technology rather than being a technology itself. Websites have grown to become much more than catalogues of information. Users want quality, interactive, online experiences rather than surfing between layers of webpages or sites.
Web 2.0 is transforming the web and the way visitors use it. It is a conduit to interaction, rather than a navigation tool for a multitude of pages. It supports social networks, community-based ranking systems and a rich user experience through emerging web technologies such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) and Application Program Interfaces (APIs). It also offers users open data formats – sharable, editable, “create your own” web applications.
But Web 2.0 is a tricky proposition for the marketer. It cannot be pinned down to one exact definition or technology. It is still very much an organic, work in progress; an ideal of sharing and participation, rather than publishing and declaration.
In fact Tim O’Reilly, of the eponymous publishing house that organised the first Web 2.0 Conference, has described Web 2.0 as “an attitude not a technology”, suggesting that it is more of a cultural change in the Web’s development. But how can marketers embrace this change, reflect it in their websites and how can it benefit the brand?
Can marketers get the Web 2.0 attitude?
Web 2.0 presents marketers with the opportunity to create a compelling online brand and user experience. Lower technology barriers, such as bandwidth costs, and develop new web technologies adhering to well defined standards, marketers can integrate social software and services onto their websites at little cost as Web 2.0 technologies are cheap and easy to maintain. Marketers need to be confident and work with web developers to pioneer new, engaging applications by taking advantage of emergent online techniques.
But how does it help? Monetising the social network can be achieved through highly targeted tailored but definitely not mainstream advertising. There is a new generation of brand aware, web savvy consumers, who are advertising adverse. Managing advertising and messaging across multiple platforms and ensuring that it is neither annoying nor repetitive is the key challenge for marketers. However, if you can manage the message in the right way and be accepted, the opportunities for penetration and engagement with your target market are huge.
Web 2.0 in action shows the way ahead for marketing
There are already a number of interactive sites that are superb examples of how Web 2.0 has helped companies remain competitive by rejuvenating communication and marketing messages. Jobster.com uses social networking to fill positions, using the central tenets of Web 2.0 to drive this multi-million dollar company’s business. Etsy.com is a fantastic example of a retail store that reaped the Web 2.0 benefits by aligning strong brand messages with core features which drive sales. American Express also uses Web 2.0 technology to improve the richness of the user experience, even for filling in an application form.
Weaving Web 2.0 into the online offering can empower marketers to leverage the opportunities in this space and help bolster the brand. Web 2.0 can be seen as having inherent values of trust, usability, vibrancy and sharing. If a brand can be associated with these values, it will be dramatically strengthened.
Think before you leap
But a word of warning, existing, established brands claiming to have embraced Web 2.0 can run into some serious problems. It is important to remember that this is a pull and not push environment. It is a classic case of “if you need to shout about it, you don’t know what you are talking about.”
Marketers need to ensure that they fully evaluate each possibility Web 2.0 has to offer, only integrating valuable functions onto their websites, rather than jumping on the bandwagon. User needs must be assessed by determining “What would our clients love?” and then creating Web 2.0 technologies to deliver the results. Testing these technologies with focus groups, friendly clients and usability testers is also vital – something may be great in theory but not work in practice.
Websites and technologies date quickly, and with the rapid penetration of broadband, users are becoming increasingly demanding. Don’t let them down with outdated website design and features, find out what they really want and give it to them. As technology continues to evolve, barriers around website design continue to fall and the human brain faces less restraint on the art of the possible, Web 2.0 will come to influence most aspects of how we interact with the internet. The only remaining question is what will Web 3.0 look like?
About the Author:
Simon Conroy is CEO for Madgex, the UK market leader in B2B web publishing systems. For more information, please go to: www.madgex.com
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