Below, are some of my thoughts around what I would classify as a “basic” marketing 2.0 framework. I am writing on this topic as I begin to think through the presentation I will be giving in July at the edu Web Conference.
In a very dynamic and ever changing landscape of web 2.0 and social media, marketers are continually faced with new challenges on how to make sense of, and embrace emerging online mediums that expose them to a world of unmoderated, decentralized conversation, taking place within a rich media playing field - syndicated text, audio, and video everywhere.
There are some basic tools that organizations must deploy in order to participate in this complex online social universe. Its becoming increasingly important for marketers to be able to develop and maintain consistent ways of participating in and measuring the success of their online engagement efforts. The ROI on social media will be an important metric for organizations to be focused on as we move forward in this evolving media landscape.
How does an organization measure its ROE or Return on Engagement? What are the key elements that an organization needs to be included in this new social media landscape? What follows is what I believe is a basic framework for participating in a world of Marketing 2.0, or, in other words, marketing in a Web 2.0 world. You will pick up on a common theme as you move through this framework, and that is one of “become a publisher of information.” None of this is rocket science, its pure practicality. We live in an expanding world of content. And yes, content IS king, it was said long ago. Now the mindshare of the masses becomes a content game, down to the marketing level.
Here are some of the basic components and tactics you need to succeed:
A Blog
I don’t really want to spend a lot of time on this one, because if your reading this post, you probably a.) already have a blog and have most likely been writing it for a while, maybe even years, and or b.) you recently launched one or are at least savvy enough to know you need one and are actively working on getting it live.
Simply put, a blog acts as your base. It is your foundation of words, opinions and expressions. Its where you express your points of view, your opinions, your news and information. Its a place where you can revert back to, to clarify your position, stake your claim, and make your mark as a person or an organization. Blogs are the newspapers, the media, the dialogue of the future. To not blog, is to not speak, nuff said.
Email Marketing
Oh yeah, you KNOW I am biased on this one 
but I don’t have to speak to why email should be a spoke on your marketing 2.0 wheel now do I? Email is the driver, the dominant application of all online mediums. Aside from being an incredible channel for developing loyalty and retention with your audience, the medium also delivers one of the highest ROI’s today for marketers. Email also drives the reach of your message, extending it, and spreading it virally through personal networks and communities. Send out a newsletter, tips, promotions, cross / up sell, re-publish blog posts, link to media, tell your story….build a subscriber base and publish targeted, relevant content.
RSS Feeds
If you are already blogging (or when you begin), you will most likely have an RSS feed associated with your blog. Make this feed as easy as possible to subscribe to for your readers. You may also consider publishing multiple feeds depending on your organization or what kind of content you are publishing. For example, your blog feed, your podcast feed, topical feeds, etc.. Publishing feeds gets your message out via a rapidly emerging channel. Consumers of media are customizing their home / start pages with feeds of interest, loading up their aggregators with subscriptions, and also subscribing to RSS feeds via email as well (another important feature to have). I have a pretty good feeling that an individual’s OPML file will be an important asset as we move forward in this landscape.
Syndicated & Optimized Press Releases:
In short, spread your key news via at least one of these services (PR Web, PR Newswire, MarketWire). The Google juice alone is worth every penny. Get your news, and your name out almost instantly via these syndication services. This is a no-brainer. Yes, it can be costly but for as little as a few hundred dollars to have your news pushed out globally, generating tons of inbound links to your web properties, is really worth the time and effort. I have done it many times and it simply works. Check out the pick up around the announcement of our acquisition of RSSFWD. We used MarketWire’s service for this release.
Produce Audio and Video Content
I am not talking CNN style, spend a $100k on a commercial / promotional piece. Naturally, I am talking about producing podcasts and online video content. Produce something. Come up with a show with a theme that relates to your area of expertise, or your industry. Produce an audio show at the very least, the barriers to entry / production are just too low now to even be debating this internally. Podcast your organizations message, period. If you can add the visual element to this, ie. video then by all means do it, just think it through and make it compelling, unique, relevant and interesting.
We live in a world of online rich media, ever growing and expanding. Broadband adoption has blown this door wide open, giving organizations of every size the ability to become their own media outlet. Broadcast your message in text, audio and video. Again, the barrier to entry is just too low to put up a fight…
Start Speaking and Showing Your Face
Lets get “un-digital” for a moment and talk about humanity and being a real person. We do live in a physical world, and we can’t ever take the human experience away. The personal connection is more powerful than any other medium. In terms of marketing, I believe this is critical. Get out in the world, come up with an idea or a topic to speak on, volunteer to talk to groups, be a guest speaker on a particular topic, be on a panel, go to networking events, etc. In short, show your face and speak your mind. Make yourself the expert in your field and meet and greet as many people as you can. Extend your brand by putting a face and a personality to a name.
As mentioned above, this is only part of a framework. I certainly have not covered everything, and I have not covered or gone into any depth on tactical implementation or measurement. That said, I believe the elements I have listed above are key “spokes” on the marketing wheel of the future, which is now
