| The Web 2.0 social media revolution is in
full steam. Are people finding your website?
As an entrepreneur, how do you make your business website
stand out amongst 435 million other websites and more than 1 million blogs competing for
your audience's attention?
It's not as hard as you might think.
To begin, let's look at the demographics of Web 2.0 social
networking sites, Myspace.com, Facebook and YouTube.com. This will give you an idea on how
to position your message in the Web 2.0 World.
The Web 2.0 Social Networking Revolution
Web 2.0 is a real revolution on the Internet. And these
aren't just college kids...
- 62% of MySpace visitors are older than 25 (40% are 35+), and
83% are making over $30,000 a year. Nineteen percent (19%) are making $100,000 and up...
- On Facebook.com 46% are over 25 and 34% are 35+, but they've
got deep pockets. Eighty-eight percent (88%) make more than $30,000 and twenty-three
percent (23%) make $100,000 or more.
In the years ahead these numbers will get ridiculous...
- Social media giant Facebook is currently ADDING a million
25+ (non-student) adults per week to their rosters. That's 52 million new users a year.
- YouTube.com gets over 50 million unique visitors per month.
That equals over half a billion a year.
- Facebook and MySpace have the equal daily traffic of Google.
Experts predict within the next year they will DOUBLE the daily traffic of Google search.
So your prospects are there. The traffic is there. The
spending power is there. So NOW is the time you want to establish your presence on the
social networking websites.
Web 2.0 Strategy: Why You Should Be a Maven, Not a
Marketer
As a website owner, how should you position your message in
the Web 2.0 world?
The increasingly savvy buying public will quickly shun
marketers. Internet readers want information from the Internet. They don't want
advertising, marketing, or a "pitch".
According to Schefren in his Attention Age Doctrine, the
solution is to become a social media "Maven".
A Maven is a trusted authority, like a friend, on the
social media websites. As you gain their trust, your audience will return to you over and
over again wanting to invest in your advice.
Five Steps to Becoming a Social Media Maven
Social Media Maven Step 1: Get in the Game
Begin blogging immediately. Create a video explaining how
to solve a problem and put it on YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook with links back to your
main website. Just those two things alone will establish more Web 2.0 presence than 90% of
your competition.
Social Media Maven Step 2: Share your passion
Build your Web 2.0 website around your passions. Thirty-two
year old Gary Vaynerchuk transformed his wine knowledge to his video blog,
http://Tv.Winelibrary.com. It now has thousands of subscribers and does $50 million
dollars a year in wine sales.
Social Media Maven Step 3: Be Controversial
Your audience will remember you more when you challenge the
status quo. Controversy sells. Think like the tabloids and the local news channels here.
For example, Web 2.0 Business Coach Rich Schefren challenges traditional marketing wisdom
in each release of his Attention Age Doctrine special reports at
www.attentionage.net/doctrine
Social Media Maven Step 4: Create World Class Content
You will drive repeat traffic to your website by offering
top notch "how to" information. Gary's wine tastings are highly educational on
the benefits of wine, how to cook with wine, and how to choose a wine for your special
occasion. Rich's reports teach Web 2.0 marketing principles.
Remember, as soon as your audience feels that you are
"pitching" them, you've lost them. So provide content not advertising.
Social Media Maven Step 5: Engage in the Conversation
Web 2.0 is a dialogue not a monologue. Internet businesses
profit more when they observe and listen to their communities first before they broadcast
their messages. Savvy mavens such as Gary and Rich encourage their audience to ask
questions. The answers to these questions then become part of their user-generated
content.
How Marketing in a Web 2.0 Social Media Environment Is
Exciting.
Visualize it like a big radio or television station or
movie screen where you're the star. You're building a fan base so you need to entertain,
inform, and deliver consistently for your audience.
You have more publishing power at your fingertips right now
than at any time in history.
- So use it.
- Share your passions.
- Reveal your trials and tribulations
- Tell your story.
And, watch how quickly your audience builds. |
