Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Web 2.0

I think this means the new environment of social networks... but I've always been slightly suspect of these kind of terms. I believe I can safely say that I have never asked a client what their web 2.0 strategy was (but I'm flexible).
But I read about it all the time.
Social networks, blogs, micro-blogs, SMS, forums, chats.... and the list of on-line opportunities goes on.
We have so many ways of engaging technology.
But are these rabbit trails leading away from our core strategy?
I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting that the key to web 2.0 is not understanding web -- but understanding your customers, your product and your business proposition.
I have a new stove. it has about 23 buttons on the front. Some of them I get... like "light" and "bake." But the Sabbath Delay feature? Not so much. I have figured out how to put food in the morning and have it bake miraculously when I am at work -- but I have to follow 2 pages of instructions.
My point?
I am vastly underusing my stove.
I would argue that many companies are vastly underusing technology or using random features without developing a measurable strategy.
There are some barriers to using it well:
1. Using multiple aspects of digital communication is time consuming.
2. Multiple channels without strong focus fragments your message.
3. Lack of a clear understanding of overall marketing goals, making it difficult to set tracking parameters.
4. Too much information muddying the waters and distracting from core goals.
So we're mid-stream in web 2.0 (whatever that means).... how has it changed the way we do business?

3 comments:

John Lepp said...

Good post Gayle. (I wish my stove had some of your features!) I think that it's like all things - there needs to be a way to measure what you are doing and how you might be communicating with your customers. The beauty of Web 2.0 is the ease of measurement. The more traditional means of reaching out just aren't as simple to keep your finger on. I think that any organization who is looking at online opportunities to grow need to take the very direct marketing 101 approach. Test it. Thanks!!!

Gayle said...

You're right there is a lot of opportunity to test on the web -- it's quick and cost effective. The key of course is to discipline your marketing activities so that the tests help you overcome your challenges. Then again -- some of the greatest marketing approaches have been sheer luck!

Dave Lawson said...

Enjoyed the post Gayle. If you're ever bored, try googling web 3.0 and web 4.0 - some people out there actually claim to know what these terms mean (the height of hubris).