If you’ve been keeping up to date through my newsletter, the reason for the following list running from six through ten is quite self evident. If not, being the smart individual that you are you’ve just come to realise you’ve missed something and have now made a mental note to sign up for the newsletter and visit the archive.
Now then, let’s get right to it with five more tips on growing your client base Web 2.0 style.
- Do something bold. Web 2.0 continually expands through new methods of information delivery. Even if your message is one that is well known, delivering it in a new way helps people open up to hearing it again while giving you the opportunity to make a new impression.
- Cross pollinate. Being active on your blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook does not have to mean you need to maintain each individually. Tools exist to help you manage and feed content into many streams through being active in just one. Invest some time researching these options and you’ll save a lot of time down the line, while keeping your activity levels in the Golidlocks zone.
- Give something away for free, or almost free. If you’ve ever wondered and couldn’t quite figure out how the local newspaper makes profit at 50 cents an issue for what feels like half a tree and a bucket of ink, there is a lot you can learn from Web 2.0 marketing.
Newspapers heavily rely on advertising revenue, and for anyone with a website and unique content that avenue of income also exists. Once your brand gains popularity through relevant content, those in your audience in need of your core services will likely come first to you. Your authority in the field might then lead to a public speaking gig that helps pay the bills directly while adding fuel to the whole cycle all over again. Since there are so many ways to increase your bottom line Web 2.0 style, we’ll look into these in an upcoming article.
- Don’t overlook the smaller social media opportunities. What these are will depend on your industry so you’ll again have to do some research. The bottom line is that of quality of leads over quantity, a larger share of a smaller pie.
- In 2010, after 23 years of running expensive Super Bowl advertisements, Pepsi placed its chips on social media and did not participate in the traditional advertising bonanza. Lauren Hobart, CMO for Pepsi in North America stated “We explored different launch plans, and the Super Bowl just wasn’t the right venue, because we’re really trying to spark a full-year movement from the ground up. The plan is to have much more two-way dialogue with our customers.” When a giant the likes of Pepsi makes such a bold move in how they market their products and you’re not feeling the ripple effect, it’s time to review how well-founded your strategy really is.
Add your voice to the mix, and share your Web 2.0 marketing success story in the comments section below. I can assure you that most folks reading your story will want to see for themselves what you’ve done, so be sure to complete the website address field or they won’t be able to click through to your website.
Sources: The Lauren Hobart quote is from Time Magazine’s “Behind Pepsi’s Choice to Skip This Year’s Super Bowl”