I’ve had the opportunity to glimpse behind the proverbial “curtain” and actually see how some of these cutting edge marketing techniques were being used by some of the top internet marketers in the world. One thing that stood out is how much common sense was built into these implementations. Sure, it seems like a foreign concept to a few still, I suppose, so let me clarify what this Web 2.0 technology even is, before we continue on.

Web 2.0 = Global Interaction

If you can read, you now get the idea… what was once a traditionally a localized application for sharing public data, the internet, has blossomed into a rich content environment where every user has the ability to interact with any other user, virtually, regardless of geography or physical condition. That’s HUGE! But we are all aware of that now, aren’t we?

So the question becomes, “how in the world do I actually tap into this market space and grab a slice of the pie for my business?”

Back to the 3 secrets, the reason you’re reading….

  1. Get some research done!In order to properly enter the Web 2.0 sphere, just like any market is to do your research.  It’s the way you gather that research that’s changed.  Among the many, many tools (there are new one’s daily, so I will not mention any particular product), but the ultimate goal is to convert internet traffic into dollars right?The simplest way of getting traffic that will give you feedback and possibly convert is to advertise on Google ™.  Using AdWords ™ you can easily get in front of a targeted audience and begin testing immediately; one of the powers of using this medium.
  2. Build Your List!If you’ve been sending traffic to your website without some way to capture their information you are wasting hundreds if not thousands of marketing dollars.  I’ve seen it more often than not, some small business owner has a slick website and a “hidden” contact form on their site.  Make the thing visible!  The point in leveraging Web 2.0 is to have a massive list of people who give a rat’s tail about what you do!
  3. Spread Virally!Another thing that is often missing on websites is the ability for visitors to tell friends.. umm, hello?  Don’t leave it up to them!  If they have an inkling to pass your site on and you have a visible tool for them to use to do that – you’re way ahead of the game already.  Also, on the other end of the spectrum, having nothing to do with your website persay, get into the social network platforms out there – there’s a ton!

Developing relationships and spreading the word about a good product or service has never been so easy and effective.  Hopefully, you now see, that the path to Web 2.0 integration is clear, research, capture, spread.  That’s  your new bread and butter!

There are many more intricacies which I will write about in other articles, but for now – go get em tiger!

~ Joshua Jones