I tend to cringe when I hear most marketing types today drone on about "Web 2.0". The fact is that most corporate Web sites are classic, cookie-cutter exhibits in the Web 1.0 Museum. They're basically online versions of 20th century brochures. Nice eye-candy, yes, but revenue-minded and Web smart? Not often. OK, you'll see the obligatory section inviting visitors to "contact" somebody at the company, but isn't this a variation on the theme of 1-800 phone numbers and operators standing by (in platform shoes)?
Our advice? True revenue-minded marketing calls for embracing "Web 2.0" tools and techniques in a bear-hug! Now. Today! Not in a technology-for-its-own-sake way, but in keeping with the enlightened self-interest of modern capitalism preached by folks such as Steve Rubell. And,of course, yours truly. Here's what I'm talkin' about, folks:
It's not good enough today to slap a customer-service element into your Web site. The shortest distance to revenue is a value proposition that not only grows over time, but does so in ways that get your target customers (prospects) talking about it amongst themselves. And in ways where you can take what they're saying and factor it into your product planning and marketing. In the old days, you used PR methodologies like testimonials, references, endorsements. As effective as they were -- and they were the only game in town -- there was always a whiff of sponsorship. No company is going to expose dirty laundry. They're going to vet every word put into the mouth of every "happy customer", right? Today, there's a new game. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it's where the world is headed. Opening up, and encouraging very public conversations with your customers, users, consumers, etc., depending on your product and market, is where the future's heading. Kudos, complaints, rants, praise, Bronx cheers -- they're all out there. They're authentic. They're real. And people respond favorably to what's real.
And like rigorous exercise, it does the corporate body good. Revenue-minded marketers see this future and they're making it work. How? By conducting these conversation online, right in the public square of the Internet. Front and center on their sites. Too risky for you? Look at it this way:
Risk is best viewed in terms of the short-term and long-term. If you are successful, people are saying all kinds of things about your company on blogs and all over the web. The fact that they might say anything negative about you, on your own Web site, is a short-term risk, especially if you are concerned that your product is not “whole”. In other words, if you have not provided a complete solution and it puts too much of a burden on customers, then your concern is probably justified. BUT -- your short-term risk can be reduced if you let the market know that you are seeking constructive feedback to get a better understanding of how to create a more satisfying product experience for those customers.Long-term risk is to fall behind as new competitors spot opportunities to which you have no visibility. Web 2.0 is a great way to see things not always visible to your internal team. So, you want a Web site, such as Intuit's, that keeps your marketing initiatives at the forefront of Web 2.0 technologies, offering both social networking and user-generated content.
Doing it can inspire positive buzz about you because it lets you utilize the power of the market to your competitive advantage. This is what Web 2.0 is all about. Put it to work!
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