Monday, December 15, 2008

The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

From class participant TVillak, this article in the WSJ speaks to many of the concepts we discussed in class...

Consumers are flocking to blogs, social-networking sites and virtual worlds. And they are leaving a lot of marketers behind.

For marketers, Web 2.0 offers a remarkable new opportunity to engage consumers. If only they knew how to do it. That's where this article aims to help. We interviewed more than 30 executives and managers in both large and small organizations that are at the forefront of experimenting with Web 2.0 tools. From those conversations and further research, we identified a set of emerging principles for marketing.

But first, a more basic question: What is Web 2.0, anyway? Essentially, it encompasses the set of tools that allow people to build social and business connections, share information and collaborate on projects online. That includes blogs, wikis, social-networking sites and other online communities, and virtual worlds.

Millions of people have become familiar with these tools through sites like Facebook, Wikipedia and Second Life, or by writing their own blogs. And a growing number of marketers are using Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with consumers on product development, service enhancement and promotion. But most companies still don't appear to be well versed in this area.

So here's a look at the principles we arrived at -- and how marketers can use them to get the best results. Don't just talk at consumers -- work with them throughout the marketing process

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