Best Practices: Know Your Web 2.0

One of the biggest emerging trends in marketing is the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Businesses are engaging in an Internet marketing and social media world where getting their word out is becoming easier—and more cost effective.

Blogs, wikis, social networks and mashups are on the rise. According to www.networkworld.com, companies on average are adding three Web 2.0 tools to their companies’ technology offerings. What this means for you is a whole world of people who are gaining information about your business at the click of a mouse.

More and more, businesses are using blogs to tell their stories and provide information to a hungry audience. The travel industry can and does benefit from the Web 2.0 trend in many ways. For instance, a rave review on the area’s newest dining hotspot can be linked to a mashup Web site. Even major tourism destinations in Ohio are pitching what they have to offer through various social networking sites where they reach a different audience and range of people than traditional marketing practices. In the blogosphere, bloggers are picking up any and every news story and writing about it for an audience of interested consumers. Try a Google search of “tourism and gas prices” and you’re sure to find numerous links to blog posts set up by consumers to relate their own stories and experiences. Consumers want to hear from consumers. It’s a trend that’s making marketing personal and relevant.

Glossary of terms:
Web 2.0: The trend in the use of Internet technology that enhances creativity, information sharing and collaboration among users; also commonly referred to as “social media”
Blog: A Web site maintained by an individual or business that regularly contributes entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video (Check out Amir’s blog!)
Wikis: A collection of Web pages designed to allow people access to contribute or modify content (think Wikipedia)
Social network: An online community of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others (think MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Mashups: Merging content from different sources (think Digg— various news, videos and images “mashed” together on one Web site)