Web
2.0's "fool's gold" glitter
By Dwain
JeworskiThere's this bright, shiny object called "Web 2.0" that
everyone seems to be fascinated with lately.
A lot of the heavy hitters
in Internet marketing have been flocking to it like magpies, claiming it's the
"next big thing" in Internet marketing. They say if you don't base all your
marketing efforts on it, your business is DOOMED TO
FAIL.
Yikes!
Before you get caught up in all the hype, let's just
take a moment to consider what Web 2.0 actually IS, and whether it's worth two
seconds of your time.
Web 2.0: The secret weapon that's going to
help you "strike it rich"?
... Or just another hammer in your toolbox?
There seems to be a lot of confusion around the term "Web 2.0"
and what it really means.
Simply put, Web 2.0 refers to the rise in
popularity of websites that encourage
user input and
interactivity, and place heavy emphasis on
community and
shared experiences. For example, well-known Web 2.0 sites
include...
- Wikipedia -- The world's most popular online encyclopedia, in
which all the content is contributed and edited by its users (as opposed to paid
experts)
- Facebook -- A popular social-networking site, where people can
find old friends, post pictures of themselves, and share information about their
lives with other registered members.
- Digg -- One of the best-known social bookmarking sites, where
people share links to their favorite articles, videos, or images. Users then
vote on the offerings, and the ones that get the most "Diggs" rise to the top
and are seen by the most viewers.
... And that's just a few!
Basically, any site that features a blog or forum, or encourages input and
feedback from its users, falls under the definition of "Web
2.0."
But what does this mean for marketers?
According to all the current hype, Web 2.0 means TRAFFIC -- and
lots of it.
The theory is that the more you interact on Web 2.0 sites
like those mentioned above, the more you can expose potential new customers to
your brand, and encourage them to visit your site.
And the more links you
get pointing to your site from popular, high-PageRank sites such as these, the
higher your site will appear in the search engine standings.
... Which
means even MORE traffic to your site!
In practice, this is mostly true.
Kind of.
Yes, you can drive a lot more traffic to your site from social
media and bookmarking sites.
But -- and here's something the majority of
Web 2.0 fanatics neglect to point out --
it takes a LOT of TIME and
EFFORT to get that traffic. And on top of that, a question that
must be asked is: "What KIND of traffic do you get???"
They can
smell a pitch from a mile away To understand the true value of
Web 2.0-style marketing, first you need to understand the type of people who
spend a lot of time hanging out at Web 2.0 sites.
These are people
seeking diversion and entertainment. They want to socialize with their online
friends, watch an entertaining video, or read something interesting or
informative.
... In other words,
they're looking for FUN
--
not for something to buy!
So if you think you can just waltz
into an online community and start talking about your product and how great it
is -- and then drive swarms of interested buyers to your site -- you are
DREAMING.
The fact is, they'll probably tar and feather you -- then run
you out of town on a rail!
If you want to get any traction whatsoever out
of Web 2.0 sites, you have to invest a LOT of your time in them.
You need
to carefully observe how people interact with each other on the site, and then
follow their example. You need to provide lots of useful free advice or other
interesting information, so people appreciate your input.
And -- unless
people ask you about it -- the ONLY place you should mention your business or
your site URL is in your signature and/or your profile page.
In other
words,
your sole objective should be relationship building, NOT
selling.
As people begin to know you and trust you, they might become
interested in checking out your site, in order to learn more about
you.
But even if you DO manage to lure a bunch of new visitors to your
site from a social site like Facebook or Digg, you have to remember that they're
clicking through mostly out of curiosity...
... NOT because they're in a
buying frame of mind.
And that means your
"Web 2.0 traffic" isn't
going to convert at the same rate you'd expect from the traffic you get
from your affiliates, joint venture partners, or pay-per-click ads.
But
does that mean "Web 2.0 marketing" isn't worth your time?
That depends...
on
you.
Is your business ALREADY a proven money-maker...
Or still just a "twinkle in your eye"? If you have a
well-established, profitable business that's doing a great job of turning
traffic into sales... And you're getting hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of
high-converting visitors to your site each day...
... Only then should
you even
consider getting into "Web 2.0 marketing."
Even though
Web 2.0 traffic doesn't convert as well as traffic from other sources, putting
your name and business brand out there on such hugely popular sites really IS a
great way to introduce your product to new audiences.
It's just that
it takes a whole lot longer to connect the dots between the
effort you put into it... and the eventual sales you get as a
result.
So if your business is still in "blueprint mode"...
... Or if you do have a site, but it's not getting much traffic
yet and few of your visitors are converting into customers...
... Then
the truth is, there are probably a LOT of things you should be working on that
will yield far more tangible,
profitable results than spending hours
each day on a site like Facebook or Digg!
Before you invest a lot
of time on "Web 2.0" marketing, you absolutely MUST:
- Do the necessary research to make sure people actually WANT to buy
your product!
- Make sure your salescopy and site design are doing
the BEST possible job of converting visitors into
buyers!
- Optimize your site for the search engines -- which,
contrary to some marketers' claims, are STILL the greatest source of free
traffic available online!
- Use proven traffic generation strategies -- such as
pay-per-click advertising and article marketing -- to drive more qualified
visitors to your site (Yes, the old "tried & true" methods
still work best!)
- Partner with other successful businesses and do joint
ventures to put your product in front of new groups of interested visitors
Once your business is making good money -- and you've maximized
all the proven ways of driving qualified traffic to your site -- THEN AND ONLY
THEN should you turn your attention to "Web 2.0."
... Because otherwise,
I'm afraid you'll find yourself digging WAY too many holes in the ground -- but
never striking gold.
Dwain Jeworski is IMC's VP of Marketing.ABOUT IMC: Internet marketing expert Derek Gehl specializes in
teaching real people how to successfully start, build, and grow their
own profitable online businesses on small budgets. To get instant
access to the step-by-step strategies, tools, and resources he's used
to grow just $25 into over $60 Million in online sales, visit:
http://www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.html