Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Book excerpt: During the toughest recessions in years, Americans have become more resourceful than ever, creating a record 558,000 new businesses per month -- a 14-year high -- in 2009. While these small businesses are the crutch of the economy, making up more than 99.7 percent of employers, it is hard to not only separate yourself from the pack, but also to just stay afloat. To achieve success, many businesses have taken their ingenuity online to market themselves digitally in the new Web 2.0 world -- the interactive and information-sharing digital age. You can't conquer the business world without first letting people know you exist. Spreading the knowledge about your business is where social media comes in. About 2/3 of comScore's U.S. Top 100 Web sites interact with customers through Facebook, which has over 400 million users. Businesses can also use short "tweets" to reach the over 180 million unique monthly visitors to Twitter every month. This book shows you how to take advantage of these latest technologies to market your business, and many of the tools require little or no money to implement. You no longer have to compete with the resources, brand recognition, and money of big corporations to reach your audience -- of which 55.6 million adults, 1/3 of the population, use social media. With Peter VanRysdam, chief marketing officer and cofounder of 352 Media Group, as your guide, you will understand how social networks have fundamentally altered how the Internet is used as a marketing tool. You will discover how to draw visitors to your Web site with search engine optimisation (SEO) and how to use Webinars, blogs, and podcasts to establish yourself as a leader in your industry. Whether you are one of those many new start-ups or a small business owner looking to take the next step, Marketing in a Web 2.0 World is here to show you the path to reach the business pinnacle by spreading your message to more people -- faster and more efficiently than ever.