Brand Building in a “Web 2.0” World

Web 2.0 seems to be the new holy grail for all entrepreneurs and marketers, and while many experts sing its praises, an equal number do predict its demise into enterprise ether. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in-between. But one business area where Web 2.0 certainly has had a major impact is in branding and marketing. This cannot be denied.

Web 2.0 is a broad term that covers all aspects of Web usage or technologies that facilitate collaboration, sharing, online conversations, user-generated content or social networking of some kind. For example, there are over 10 million blogs today and no matter what area of business you are in, someone has probably created a blog about it and someone else is actually reading that blog. (Blog stands for Web Log or Journal or Site that a Web user creates themselves on any subject of their choosing.)

As a brand builder or marketer, ignoring Web 2.0 is ignoring some of the best tools you can find in managing your 360 degree (touching every touch point in your marketing matrix with an appropriate relationship) marketing strategy and your reputation online. Understanding your customer’s buying habits and interests, mapping current trends, getting free feedback and reviews, testing out new concepts on focus groups for free, managing your brand’s reputation through proper message management, distributing viral messages and ideas quickly – what else can a marketer ask for. This is the promise of Web 2.0. However, remember – the opposite can hold true as well – so use these tools carefully. Here are some ideas to help you along:

Idea #1: Spruce up your Website – improve the customer experience on your site: Add a blog-type news desk (Wordpress provides some very good tools for free) so visitors can comment and more. Add a customer assistance tool (like LivePerson or an Avatar - see SitePal or Oddcast), if you are an online retailer add user recommendations and suggestions (use intelligent tools like Cleverset.) And make sure you use some serious Analytics tools to help you measure performance of your site, drop off rates and more (Google Analytics is free and very good but you could try Webtrends for some really advanced reports.) Make sure you set up a team in-house to run your site so it is not an after-thought.

Idea #2: Get Blogging – yes, there are 10 million blogs out there, so before you take the plunge and launch another one of your own (Blogger, Wordpress or TypePad are your best bets) in that vast pool – ask yourself a few questions. How will this benefit my customers? Which blogs exist that already talk to my customers and how can I connect with them? How will I get my customers or target market to ready my blog regularly and become aware of its existence? Also consider using new technologies for announcing and broadcasting messages and news like Twitter and InMail at Linkedin.

Idea #3: Use Social Networks and Forums – This is a great way to test new ideas or get good feedback from people using your products or services. By reaching out to your core base via networks and forums, you will build a relationship with core constituents who will shape the opinion of others about your brand. Build a page on Linkedin (your profile), Facebook, Orkut, Ibibo, BigAdda, or Fropper. Manage this well as your reputation may count on it. If your market does not already have an active network then consider starting your own (have a look at Ning or Community Server – very nice open source social networks and forums you can start on your own.)

Idea #4: Use Email to build relationships and get messages out - Though not officially considered Web 2.0 – managing emails well is critical in your brand thinking for the Web 2.0 future. You already have an Email list - your current list of clients, customers, staff, friends , associates and vendors is your email list. Learning to use this wisely and then grow it is an art and will take some work. Set up newsletters, announcements and new desks so that you can keep your core targets informed regularly and automatically – there are some great email and list management services that are really cheap and let you create beautiful emails in minutes (see Constant Contact and iContact which both are Spam proof and approved.) Allow people to sign up for these on your site. Also consider growing your list in key markets by purchasing or renting lists. This will take some more research and effort on your part but may well be worth it.