Marketing to the Social Web

In this book filled with examples and illustrations, Larry Weber, after a thirty-year career at global communication firms, deciphers the impact of the rise of the Internet on marketing. He notes that the web has changed the playing field dramatically, and that marketing will never again be the same. Far from being alarmist, he sees the web as a fantastic opportunity for organizations to refine both their knowledge of customers, as well as their communication to their target audience. The new marketing strategy is not only more sharply focused, but also much less costly.
The first chapter puts the fundamental keys to success in this new context, that is, not thinking of the web as a simple communication channel on the same level as television, for example, but as a new economic universe in which consumers dictate the rules to brands. The birth of Internet communities, which offer an unlimited forum for individual discussion and exchange, is making people less and less sensitive to brand messages and more and more trusting of the opinions of other internet users.
The author then proposes seven key steps to succeed in this new world. Among the most original ideas, he incites companies to monitor the web to “map” customers. The author also offers many concrete suggestions on how to conduct an effective public relations policy with regard to Internet opinion leaders (specifically bloggers), and on how to participate in web discussion forums to generate buzz about the brand without being intrusive and risking rejection.
Finally, the last section makes a close study of the strategies that can be used to improve search engine rankings, to create and maintain blogs, and to generate specific customer communities or social networks. Although this section is not a detailed how-to manual, it will certainly come in handy when the time comes to move into action.