Turn your website into a Web 2.0 marketing tool!
February 11th, 2010 // 3:42 pm @ admin
As we continue to consult with clients on developing their websites, I constantly encourage them to turn their site into Web 2.0 marketing tools. They often ask, “What do you mean by a Web 2.0 marketing tool and how would you go about doing that?”
With the rise of social media, platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook have arisen as the new channels through which companies generate leads, promote their brands and engage with their customers. As companies begin to embrace social media as a legitimate form of customer outreach their existing online and offline marketing materials must also support their social media marketing initiatives.
Your websites are the first and possibly last medium through which your audience gets to know your company and brand. You must make sure that your website is inline with your social media marketing campaigns. A website that supports social media campaigns is one of the main elements of a successful marketing campaign and what we call a Web 2.0 tool.
Here is a list of features that you might want to consider including on your website in order to make it an effective Web 2.0 tool:
- Include your company’s LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter account on the homepage and possibly throughout all pages of your website so that your audience has every opportunity to follow your company.
- Give your audience the ability to broadcast and share the content of your website pages.
- Make sure management bios have individual social media accounts so that your audience may connect with them.
- Include a “Feedback” button on the website so you can hear what your visitors have to say.
- Make sure your messaging on your website is inline with the social media messages and tweets you deploy.
- A company blog is a must and you should include it on your website.
- If members of your management team have individual blogs make sure they are also included.
- Consider creating a “Customer Community” and if you already have one, make sure your customers can find it and get to it easily from the website.
Category : Blog
Kevin Cimring
6 months ago
Hi Arman, thanks for the solid advice here. The one point I am not clear on is No 5: “If members of your management team have individual blogs make sure they are also included.” This must surely depend on the nature of the blog. For example, if it’s a personal interest blog about a hobby on blogspot.com would you still include it and where? Finally, why would you include personal blogs – to achieve a closer connection with the customer (put faces to the company etc), or are there other reasons?
Regards
Kevin
admin
6 months ago
Kevin- Thanks for your comment. I believe the best deals are made on a personal level. Once customers and the members of the management team connect, either professionally or personally, the lines of communication will then open, regardless of the nature the connection. Of course as you also mentioned the nature of the blog should be considered prior to including it on the website. (Whether or not it be offensive to customers, etc.)