List Building with Web 2.0

There has been lots of talk about Web 2.0 lately on and off the Internet. So, what is it and how will it impact the Internet Marketing community and your list building efforts?

It’s going to hit HARD.

First, let me explain what it is, and then we’ll go into the why.

Web 2.0 is a network of sites, which is now seen as the “next generation” of the Internet. You may be familiar with some of the sites, like Del.icio.us or Digg or Stumble Upon. All of these sites have one thing at the forefront—the user. People decide what goes into these sites, how popular sites are, and rather than Google or Yahoo deciding what gets to be on top, people do. Think of MySpace, You Tube, and the newer, but getting more and more popular–MyBlogLog. All of these are socially driven sites, as well.

How this works is that you sign up for the site. Then, when you find something you like, you vote for it. You just give it a vote.

It’s easy to place direct links to these social bookmarking sites on your blogs and web sites, too, like at the bottom of this post, for instance. These links make voting easy, so get some up on your blog. Word Press has a plug-in that installs them for you. Some sites like Del.icio.us give you tag icons to install in your browser’s toolbar, and others, like Stumble Upon just give you a whole toolbar. But generally, it’s very easy to vote for your favorite site, no matter which Web 2.0 site you join.

And you should join all of them, or at least the biggest, most popular ones.

Why?

Well, if you’re list building, this is another great way to add to your contact list. MySpace is so popular because you can go there, make a bunch of friends, and when you have something very cool to show them, you can tell them about it. If you’ve been a good friend, they’ll probably check out your offer and you’ll make money. If nothing else, you’ll get better exposure. Then, when someone sees your site or a product you recommend, they’ll be more inclined to take a second look because they know you. It’s a kind of “branding” tool, if you will. And in terms of list building, it’s like having mini-lists in several different places.

The other thing is that you will get traffic. Generally, people who are your friends will read your messages and your blog posts. Some of these sites even have blogs built in, so you can blog there, too. And when you become a friend of someone else, then all their friends are exposed to you and they can visit your site and check you out, and so on. It goes to the end of the Internet!

Though these sites have been around for a long time, they have been a bit slow to catch on.

But are these sites going away? The popularity of YouTube and MySpace certainly seems to hand out a big NO answer. Will they help you? Undoubtedly, if you spend some time with them. Are they worth it? Some successful marketers think so, while others disagree. But as we move into the era of Web2.0 in a much bigger way, isn’t it worth checking things out?

Do You Have a List? If Not, Why Not?

Tagged as: blogging, communication, google, linking, marketing, myspace, traffic, youtube