Creative
The Power of Content and Community
Acquiring, serving and retaining customers and clients in the conceptual and connected world is about building relationships with them through authentic expression.
With the increasing prevalence of Web 2.0 trends, web site architecture and design are becoming more standardized yet customizable, which lowers entry barriers. On the other hand, the bar has been raised very high for content development and community building.
To meet that bar, businesses, from solo to very large, will need a new kind of creative professional service with a focus on Web 2.0 strategy, content development, community building, and in many cases, coaching and change facilitation.
Many small businesses are more concerned with quantitative methods, including: analytics, SEO, SEM, ad placement and response metrics and rates, link schemes, etc. Its not that those aren’t useful or important. But its critical to understand that your customers, clients and audience care about relationship, transparency and collaboration, not your statistics.
“We thought that anybody who came to a concert had equity. They took part in the creation of the music.” - Mickey Hart, Grateful Dead
Many traditional businesses, both b-to-c and b-to-b, are reluctant to make the shift from their traditional push-style marketing methods that are no longer effective. But to ignore the sea change brought about by Web 2.0 and changing global demographics and trends is to risk serious long-term disadvantage.