This article is not a user guide to teach you how to use web 2.0 for your business, Web 2.0 isn't a thing. it's a state of mind...

First of all, we will try to briefly define what is Internet TODAY

In previous decades Internet was mostly used as a source of information (Websites/ forums/ RSS feeds/...) and that was the Web 1.0 era vs. Web 2.0 were peoples can participate and influence this information (Social Networks/ Blogs/ Wikis/ Tweets/...) 

So you will tell me what the relation with my business or my brand?

ONE answer: Influencers!

To make it short, Web 2.0 world is clusters of influencers and You, Me, Him, Her can be an influencer for a group of peoples, this make your business becoming a collection of experiences that will go thru all forms of interactions.

Then you will ask why?

Because peoples (And by this I mean consumers) trust peoples like them!

Still lost? Don't know where to start?

Everywhere

All paths should lead to your Brand

Pillars of social interaction are basic:

• Useful = Need fulfillment

• Attractive = Enjoy using

• Interactive = Talks to ME

• Depth of engagement = Reacts to ME

• Recommendable = Benefit MY friends?

In clear, make consumers being your friends and do not try to force them by broadcasting things about you and your business, don’t forget that as soon you enter the Web 2.0 world you become an influencer and that peoples will trust you because you are like them and not because of you tell them you are the best.

Do not forget that Branding is pre-selling and that the Web 2.0 is a collective intelligence

If you are a business owner then:

Ask your consumers, don’t be ashamed to make them participate to the success of your brand (If you are afraid, you can maybe start with your employees first)

• Why not creating an idea box where peoples can share ideas and others can vote to best ones (see http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/)

• Tell them also what you think about you, competitors, market, economy or anything related to your consumers life (A personal Blog is a good way to reach this goal).

• Choose an open blogging platform to not be associated to a media or another brand, I would suggest Wordpress

• Create a page on Facebook/MySpace/LinkedIn and add a “share this” link into your blog and you will then benefits of huge existing community and word of mouth to increase your blog readers

• Create a twitter account for the same reason as above and add twitter into your “share this” options so each time you publish an article do not forget to share it on both places

• Participate and add comments on other peoples blogs (no matter the topic there are always an expert for it, so take some benefit and try to rally people to your cause or opinion)

• No matter if people hate you or love you the important is that they talk about you (That’s the Buzz)

• If you have enough time, try to build a community of users/consumers so they will evangelize more friends (I prefer the word ambassador as I don’t like the world evangelize but in many case it’s really what happen, i.e. Harley Davidson or Apple users, some of them can go far for that brand)

• If you are familiar with videos and photos and if it fit with your business then you can podcast some thru well known UGC channels (User Generated Contents, i.e. YouTube, Dailymotion, Flickr, etc…) but be cautious with this as customers could change the message by passing their own message using your brand at any time (It’s not With your Brand, it’s IN your brand).

• If you have resources and/or some bucks to spent on this, make some phone apps related to your Brand and or your Business

  • An online product directory and specifications

  • A business locator

  • A feed reader (so they can follow your blog on their phones)

  • Or just funny apps to entertain your customers: do not forget to put your logo on it ;)

Key to success is as basic as pillars of social interaction:

• Be creative so you get peoples focus on you

• Be relevant, peoples searches for what is relevant for them

• Be honest, if you don’t you will be unmasked at one time or another

• Be unique, don’t be a copy or do the same as… Tell your own story

• Be aware of who your audience is (Know control vs. No control, Listen to what others are telling about you)

• Update frequently so you become a reference

• Be transparent: nothing can be hidden in the Internet

So now what? I just want to welcome to the “trust economy” where companies can no longer control the message but they can manage the results and get some benefits if they are aware of which channels of communication their potential consumers/audience are using and be prepared to surf tsunamis :)

Note: I’ve not talked about this but there are tons of tools to improve your blog/tweets/podcast/content visibility but that is another story ;)