I recently was involved in two research efforts that looked at the effectiveness of specific Web 2.0 features various brands include in their online experiences. While many of these types of content and functionality do not, in my opinion, really fall into the Web 2.0 category, it is worth considering how many of the following might reach and engage prospects and customers better and should perhaps be a part of your own online marketing strategy:
- 360 degree spins and alternate views
- Blogs
- Color swatching/colorizing
- Designing your own 'product' or look and mixing and matching components
- Interactive catalogs
- Mobile commerce
- Monogramming or engraving tools
- Microsites
- Personalized messages embedded in the Website based on embedded cookies
- Product tours - interactive or linear playback
- Quick looks and rollover views or fast zoom in, etc.
- RSS feeds
- Shop by category - type of room, outfit, look, etc.
- Stored personalization through areas like My Account, My Profile, or site favorites
- URL and Widget sharing - also embedded on other sites
- User rankings and ratings and comments and feedback
- User-generated visual content - photos/video/audio/graphics
- Videos - used for demonstration, advertising, merchandising, or other promotion
- Videos based on user remixed content
- Visual filtering and advanced search on product features or actual visual product configurators - often referred to now collectively as RIA or Rich Internet Applications
- Web to print
- Wikis
The key is not that any of the above site enhancements are generally more effective than others, but how effective any in particular may be to reach and engage your visitors to compel them to make a purchase or otherwise take the actions you desire as a result of your investment in online marketing. And the key to that determination is how you measure their effectiveness.
I have said many times that almost every action online can and should be measured. And how you measure is just as important, so your business can know as precisely as possible that specific new content or functionality enhancements, or online advertising or search or database efforts, or any online marketing initiative, led to direct increases in purchases, average order size, upsell incidence, site traffic, time spent on site, or other key metrics that provide upper management with the ROI they likely require for all marketing. Did visitors click through from that e-mail campaign? Did they go to the new rich media demo that was promoted on the home page? Did they watch all of it and then click to learn more, or leave after ten seconds? Did they send a referral to their friends, or leave positive feedback on their customer service experience? These and many like them are the right questions to ask.
When you have a strategy supporting every online brand experience and marketing component, and a plan for measuring, analyzing, and learning from the ROI from each, then you can know what Web 1.0 components are working well, which are not, and what new or Web 2.0 features should be considered.
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