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 makíng over $30,000 a year. Nineteen
percent (19%) are makíng $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%) makë
more than $30,000 and twenty-three percent (23%) makë $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. It now has thousands of subscribers and does $50 millíon 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 profít 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.
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