R.N. Johnson Creative Marketing

This may be a great time to restart your business in a much more innovative direction.

There’s such an abundance of information on Web 2.0 that it is hard to write a focused summary of current use. The term Web 2.0 emerged in 2004. It is a popular label for the “participatory web” now so prevalent in the rise of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube, Flickr and other social media. Additionally, Web 2.0 encompasses the continued growth of the blogosphere, and the ever increasing number of hosted applications that run through web browsers and allow users to own and control their own information. This architecture of online participation, and its surging popularity, has changed the face of marketing.

Transitioning To Digital Marketing

So, the question of how to think outside the box on marketing using Web 2.0 is a very important question if you’re thinking about using social media, or building and maintaining your professional blog, or engaging in link building and search engine optimization (SEO).

We have seen marketers who think that a blog is a static thing, similar to a website. They may also assume their blog content should mimic their other advertising and marketing, not fully realizing they need to completely retool their approach. Additionally, we see and hear a lot about social marketing from customers who seem willing to dismiss it as too much work. They fear it will become a huge drain on their time and lead to false starts in an unproven medium.

Digital marketing presents a path of confusing complexity for many potential clients. Where a comprehensible program of traditional methods once prevailed, a new set of digital choices has emerged that represent game changing possibilities. Additionally, this new paradigm may not fit in with the current company culture.

If you have encountered Infusion Blog before, you may be aware that our firm (rnjohnson.com) specializes in working with independent companies. Many of our customers are transitioning to digital marketing. This blog is written for them. We make it our business to synthesize information and provide helpful guidance to independent marketers (i.e. small companies) about what to do and why.

Looking At The World With Fresh Eyes

As a first step, we have stressed the need for all parties to start looking at the world with fresh eyes. This may be a great time to reexamine your core strategy and marketing tactics using new techniques and restarting your business in a much more innovative direction.

But you need to look at the basics and be creative about content. To gain online traffic to your blog, you’ll need to jump start the process with new thinking, analysis, product demonstrations or a more effective and creative way to showcase  your expertise. Maintaining a blog allows customers, prospects and outside experts to interact with you online. But, the old command and control management style may get in the way. That’s why you’ll need to spend time thinking “outside the box” on a host of new questions.

• Are you ready to provide compelling blog content on a regular basis?
• Have you been visiting blogs, or participating in social media on your own, taking the time to understand what others in your industry are doing?
• Are you ready to respond helpfully and quickly to blog posts?
• Do you have a strategy for attracting readers and leveraging the blogosphere?
• Most of all: are you prepared to think outside the box?

Most people think creativity has more to do with art, music and literature and less to do with business, science and engineering. But that’s not the case. Creativity is the act of producing new ideas, approaches and actions. Innovation is the process of generating and applying ideas in a specific manner and context. Both definitions apply, especially if you’re planning to leverage Web 2.0  for your business.

But how to do this? What’s the best way to engage this process?

Good question. We have been working on this five part “Outside The Box” series as a way to share our thoughts and research. There’s so much occurring with Web 2.0 applications in social media, search engine optimization and link building that it is virtually impossible for a smaller marketing agency or company to stay abreast of everything. Our solution is to adhere to the principle of simplicity (some may say we’re simplistic) in seeking original ways to categorize or map the world of online marketing, to break out the fundamental action steps a potential client might use to prioritize their investment.

We considered a wealth of data. There’s such a long list of sites, blogs and major publications covering the world of technology. We’re grateful to the writer’s, contributors and publisher’s who enabled us to stand back and consider the larger picture of online marketing:

• Hubspot.com
• Online-Social-Networking.com
• Medialifemagazine.com
• Mediapost.com
• Mailchip.com
• Copyblogger.com
• Wearesocial.net
• Web-strategist.com
• Online.wsj.com (Wall Street Journal Online Edition)
• Ephrononmedia.com
• Wikipedia.org
• Mashable.com

Since we allude to innovation, and the ability to think outside the box on Web 2.0, we thought it might be fun to reference the Nine Dot Puzzzle (at right) and ask you to attempt it on your own. We’re told the puzzle appeared 1914 in a early humor magazine and that it was rediscovered after WWII. If you have never worked on it, please print this page and try to connect the dots. For the answer, see Part IV Thinking Outside The Box On Strategy.

And here is one final question: would you like to share a creative online marketing solution with us?

Test your creativity... Answer: See part V of series.

We would love to hear from you.

Best wishes…

Gregory Johnson

Next up is Part II: Thinking Outside The Box On Web 2.0, Blogs and Social Media