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The term “Web 2.0” has
been around long enough now that many people consider it an empty
cliché or a bandwagon, or both – and some are already
talking about “Web 3.0.” Among the 66 million Google
citations, references to Web 2.0 go back as far as 2004.
So Web 2.0 is nothing new. But despite its popularity,
there are as many definitions of what Web 2.0 actually
is, as there are search engine listings for it! For some, Web 2.0
means the entire worldwide web is becoming a vast new computing
platform; for others it means websites that behave more like desktop
applications; for others, Web 2.0 is synonymous with social networking:
blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like.
And for many others, Web 2.0 is a catchall term for, y’know,
those cool sites like Flikr and Twitter and YouTube ’n’ stuff…
The blind men
describe an elephant
It turns out that none of these definitions are right, yet all
of them are. If we “mash up” the conflicting opinions,
we find that Web 2.0 sites distinguish themselves from those retroactively
labeled Web 1.0 in three key ways:
- 2.0 sites look and behave more like desktop applications.
They often have a certain graphical “look” about
them (more on this later). And they respond faster, and in a “richer” way,
instead of just displaying another page of content from the server
when a link is clicked.
- Whereas 1.0 sites are silos of information made available to
visitors, in 2.0 sites, the visitors themselves are contributors
to the site content. And 2.0 sites often share their
content and capabilities with other sites, allowing new hybrids
of maps, feeds and content to be created.
- 2.0 sites typically incorporate a mix of “cool” new
technologies to deliver these new functionalities – RSS
feeds, tagging, sharing, podcasts, video and Ajax, to name
a few.
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after the jump
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What can “2” do
for you?
Coolness aside, as a business-to-business marketer, you may be
asking yourself how relevant Web 2.0 is to your site? The 2.0 sites
that spring to mind first are mostly BtoC. But we believe BtoB
can benefit, too.
There’s certainly no need to overhaul your site immediately;
with today’s marketing budgets, gradual change is a more
realistic approach. The good news is that Web 2.0 technologies
can be implemented incrementally and inexpensively. Adding just
a few can move you beyond brochureware, and help deliver a user
experience that’s
more engaging, personal, memorable, and compelling – in short,
all the things you want your BtoB site to be.
13 ways to “Go
two-oh”
So, in no particular order, here’s a baker’s dozen
of 2.0 tools, techniques and tricks worth considering.
- Feed them. An
RSS feed lets visitors subscribe to sections of your site that
change frequently, such as news and events. That way, they’ll
be notified when you update your site, which will encourage them
to visit again. (For an example, click the orange icon on Arketi’s
"In the News" page.)
- Apply some Ajax. Combine
multiple pages of related content into a single page – such
as a product description, technical specs, and screenshots – then
let the visitor click “tabs” to hide and reveal the
different sections instantly. (See this in action at erdas.com.)
- Banish popups. More Ajax magic replaces slow,
annoying popup windows with instant screen overlays. Ideal for
showing multiple images – and great for forms too. (See
how we used it for Hospitality
Ventures – click “View more photos.”)
- Keep it fresh. It was true for Web 1.0 and
it’s twice as true for 2.0: there’s no substitute
for well-crafted content that’s relevant and recent. Weekly
updates should be a minimum. Yes, weekly. (Need help generating
content? Let the visitors help – see the next two tips.)
- Invite feedback. Engage visitors by making
them contributors. This can be as simple as a comment box at
the foot of the page (common on blogs like Arketi’s BtoB
Marketing News), to tips and tricks contributed by users
of your product, to full-blown feature articles written by customers.
- Let users spread the word. Bookmark-sharing
sites like Digg and Delicious allow visitors to tell others
to visit your pages – a great way to stimulate traffic
and build your thought leadership creds. Many journalists trawl
these sites for stories and article ideas, too. (See the icons
in the sidebars on Arketi’s "In
the News" pages.)
- Blog it. A blog
fulfills multiple 2.0 objectives: fresh content, visitor involvement,
RSS feed... best of all, it's really easy to start. But don’t
forget, a blog is only valuable if you keep it updated – the
once-a-week rule applies here, too. (Check out Cisco’s
blog to see the frequency of their posts.)
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after the jump
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- Pod it. The blog’s audio brother, the
podcast is another simple way to serve up content that’s
accessible and subscribable. And it’s easier than you might
think – desktop-quality recording is fine, provided your
content is worthwhile. (Hear what we’re talking about on
Arketi’s BtoB
Marketing Minute podcast.)
- Video it. Sure
it takes a little planning, a little scripting, and a little
editing, but here too, things don’t need to look too polished.
Upload to YouTube, point-and-click to build a custom player,
copy to your webpage... YourCompanyTV is on the air! (Or use
existing video – with permission – as at AAA
Making America Stronger)
- Nip/tuck. There’s something about “that
Web 2.0 look” – white space, clear colors, large
fonts – that’s almost simplistic. We don’t
suggest jumping on every latest design trend bandwagon, but a facelift
can work wonders to freshen a tired site. (See the results of
some recent makeovers at reveillesoftware.com, maxrecall.com and metasysinc.net.)
- This is personal. Not everyone wants the same
information from your site. Allow users to customize their view
and choose the way they use it – particularly valuable
on pages where content from multiple sources is aggregated. (Knowledge
Infusion’s Center of Excellence is a great example.)
- Contextual clues. Especially
on technology sites where some visitors may not be technical,
contextual explanations can be helpful. An icon or dotted underline
hints that a popup definition will appear when you mouse-over
the word, like this: HTML.
(You may need to view this example in a browser as not all email
clients support it.). A more elaborate version can be created
using the Snapshots
tool.
- Let them play. Used judiciously, Flash is
a great tool to engage and explain complex concepts. Product
diagrams are less intimidating and more fun to explore when your
mouse is driving. (See what we mean on these pages from Racemi and Flo
Healthcare.)
With all the extra traffic your Web 2.0 site will be getting,
you’ll need some way to keep track of it all. Good thing
marketing automation solutions are the subject of an upcoming
issue. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading Core. If you liked this article, please
share it on Digg, Twitter or Delicious. And please
let us hear your comments, compliments and criticisms too, at core@arketi.com. |
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