Paul Lomax www.twopointoh.co.uk

Web 2.0 Strategy

10 Tactics for Web 2.0 Success

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#1. Create a community• Membership:

profiles, friending, groups

• Influence: audience feels in charge

• Fulfil needs: Social, Ego & Self-actualisation

• Greet every new member

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#2. Simple proposition• Can you explain your

website on the phone?

• “A benefit to the person that makes a real difference in their lives”

• Passive as well as active participation – voting with feet

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#3. Viral growth• Encourage word-of-

mouth: altruistic and incentivised

• Build-in ways to share• On-ramps: Lower

barriers to invite friends • Natural network effects

– more value with more ‘friends’

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#4. Beta / continuous R&D• Don’t be afraid of

experimentation• Open dialogue with

users, involve in decisions

• Easy feedback mechanism = free testers

• Development is a process not an event.

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#5. Platform for advertisers• Genuinely introduce

advertisers with the right consumers

• Create opportunities to interact

• Keep it relevant and useful

• Remember: advertising is the icing on the revenue cake

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#6. Outside in, inside out• Let the outside in• Import widgets, RSS,

APIs – use even competitors’ content!

• Let the inside out• Syndicate through RSS,

widgets, open APIs• Set your content free,

let users do your marketing

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#7. Overwelm the microcosm• You still need to

target an audience!• Location

– xianei.com = china

• Interest– myspace.com = music

• Identity – ivillage.com = female

• Condition– theknot.com = marriage

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#8. Be profitable• Traffic acquisition

costs – don’t make a loss driving traffic

• Consider paid-search as a cost of sales

• Check content creation costs

• Measure total revenue per visit

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#9. Content mix• Expertise is relative

– like-minded, pro or otherwise

• Specific drives off the general

• Be comprehensive• Mix broad and

narrow, long-tail and mass-market, pro editorial and UGC

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

#10. Sell something• 100% advertising

revenue = eggs in one basket

• Virtual: Facebook gifts; Second Life land; ad-free membership

• Real: DeviantArt prints; merchandise; a service

• Does your anonymous data have a value to any businesses?

Paul Lomax: A Web 2.0 Strategy www.twopointoh.co.uk

Credits & Inspiration• Tara Hunt

– http://twopointoh.co.uk/2007/02/20/building-online-communities-tara-hunt-citizen-agency/

• Jeffery Rasport– http://twopointoh.co.uk/2007/03/10/staying-competitive-in-the-digital-era-jeffery-rasport-marketspace-llc/

• Peter Horan– http://twopointoh.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/5-corner-stones-of-successful-content-and-monetisation-success/

• John Musser & Tim O’Reilly– http://twopointoh.co.uk/2007/01/20/oreillys-web-20-principles-best-practises-report/

• Photos credits:– richard_am, phitar, darkmatter, (nz)dave, Scott Foy, eye2eye, ,

Valerie Reneé, vaXzine, alexmuse and Paul Lomax!