Web 2.0 Is Just So 2008 – ClickZ

Web 2.0 Is Just So 2008 – ClickZ

This is great article. ClickZ often puts out articles to keep in front of the reader, many of them suck. Sometimes a good one comes up, and this is one.

This article reinforces what I have been saying over and over. The new internet marketing is about giving the people what they want. The mystique of the internet is gone, it doesn’t amaze anyone anymore and no one goes on to just aimlessly search and search. If you want to stay relevant, you need to be a destination.  I am not talking about adding a chatroom to your auto parts site, but you need to be a place where people who want auto parts can go to when they don’t need auto parts.

If you cant think of a way to increase your content and add some interactivity, at the very least you need to be out there participating in other ‘networks’ and attaching your personality to your website.  This is a prime example of what is wrong with  so many agencies. They still think that you just need to build the site, maybe throw in some cool flashy doo-dads and then just leave it. That is a recipe for disaster.

Read up on Web 2.0 (I hate that term about as much as I hat the term ‘generation X’) Find out about social networks, social bookmarking, video marketing, article marketing, etc. The one constant is – Content is king, however, as I have said – the name of the game is reputation and interaction. People need interaction, with you, and with each other.

The internet is rapidly becoming another dimension where you can live part time. If you think of it that way, imagine if you lived in a world, alone, filled with nothing but shops, and in the shops there were tons of products but no people, maybe one person behind the register to take your money, but no one there to tell you if what your buying is any good, no one to talk about last weeks game, its just you.  Who would want to live in a world like that?

Get with the program

I really shouldn’t get in the habit of talking smack about people, especially people I work for, but sometimes it’s hard to keep my mouth shut.

Those who can do, those who can’t run a web marketing agency.

The amount of wasted money that flows through is staggering. There is no effort made to stay current, to learn what works, to even know the definition of social media, web 2.0, widget, twitter, social bookmarking – so say any of those things just gets a blank stare.

No interest in allocated even a fraction of the budget to article marketing, or content creation. The #1 method for getting incoming links – ignored.

I wouldn’t be so irritated if the powers that be were informed and made a conscious decision to not participate, but its the total lack of interest in learning about any of the methods that are essential to stay competitive. It baffles me.

There is no trick to marketing your business on the internet. No secret forumulas, no passwords or secret handshakes. It’s a new day. All you need to be successful online is :

1. Offer quality content
2. Educate yourself on what works and what doesn’t
3. Hire people who are actually interested in the process and give them incentive to help you succeed.

Apathy will kill your business like a cancer. You can work as hard as you want, but if your support system isn’t there, then it will all be in vain.