Jeremiah Owyang discusses how web tools and social media enable companies to connect with customers

Widgets, a viable Web Marketing Strategy

July 11th, 2007 | Category: Widget Strategy, Media 2.0, Community Marketing, Web Marketing, Web Theory

In a recent post, I listed out all the Many Forms of Web Marketing. In fact, there are over 40 of them!

I’ve put Widget Marketing in section 5F, under Community Marketing and Social Media. Why are widgets viable? The theory of modern marketing is to join the companies where the currently exist, rather than trying to build your own.

In this great article by Alex from Read Write Web; The Evolution of Web Widgets: From Self-Expression to Media Companies:


“Media companies see widgets as an important new method of reaching audiences both inside and outside their domains. It seems that widgets cover array of tasks ranging from brand propagation to instant transactions and customer tracking. In this post we will take a look at how web widgets have evolved from cool, viral toys of self-expression to important big media tools.”

In fact, Google is offering $100,000 to developers to build widgets, details from this Keynote of Marissa Mayer.

Web Strategies: There’s a few theories that you have to understand before you engage in Widget Marketing:

  • 1) Web Marketing is not limited to two domains only
  • 2) Content is Amorphous
  • 3) Content is Ubiquitous
  • 4) The savvy join communities where they currently reside
  • 5) Many are content publishers, widgets reward them, keeping traffic on their sites, not yours
  • 6) APIs and hooks into multiple widget platforms will be needed
  • 7) Your website is Irrelvant, and must evolve

    • There’s an interesting program by the W3C to standardize widgets. Makes sense.

    11 Comments so far

    1. Paris July 11th, 2007 6:25 pm

      Good post. I like your list. This should keep us busy for a couple years at InfoCream. Interesting times. Some one ought to register wiiiget.com

    2. jeremiah_owyang July 11th, 2007 7:15 pm

      Paris

      Busy is good! Glad this was helpful.

    3. Web Strategy by Jeremiah » SF New Tech Meetup: Reviews of Truemors, Blabberize, Rateitall, AdPerk, JuggleMyStuff July 11th, 2007 8:44 pm

      […] Rateitall - Lawrence Coburn, CEO/Founder RateItAll allows anyone to rate any type of product, service, or idea. Lawerence discusses that the top problems with ratings sites is that users have to go to the rating sites to learn about it. There’s a widget that can be embedded in a blog, or website, smooth flash experience. Has over 1 million visits last month. Richard over at Read Write Web says this is the first fully re-write and fully edited review widget. Be sure to read the Web Strategies on Widgets. His goal is to get nearly all ratings happening on other websites using the widget is his goal. […]

    4. Derek Anderson July 12th, 2007 5:43 am

      Jeremiah,

      Thanks for your interest in marketing which led you to widgets which led you to WidgetsLab!

      Last year someone said 2007 will be the year of the widget. I think 2007 is just the tip of the widget and what can be done with them. 2007 is over half gone and we have barely scratched the surface of the widget marketing potential.

      I could go on…but this is for comments, not posts.

      Cheers!
      D

    5. jeremiah_owyang July 12th, 2007 6:06 am

      Derek, keep on going on! you’re adding to the conversation, I’m listening.

    6. share.websitemagazine.com July 12th, 2007 6:11 am

      Widgets, a viable Web Marketing Strategy…

      Why are widgets viable? The theory of modern marketing is to join the companies where the currently exist, rather than trying to build your own….

    7. Graeme Thickins July 12th, 2007 5:01 pm

      great post, Jeremiah — I loved the term I saw on Will Price’s blog today — he labeled the widget phemom as “the atomization of the web”…

      whatever you call it, I say it’s definitely the year of the widget!

      cheers,
      Graeme

    8. Daily Links for 07/12/07 July 12th, 2007 5:59 pm

      […] Widgets, a viable Web Marketing Strategy (tags: Web 2.0 widgets marketing content) […]

    9. Marcos Caceres July 13th, 2007 6:31 pm

      Widgets can only be viable if they contain all the tools that allow marketeers to add value to users’ every day life. Widgets do this by having in them the technology to tap and reinterpret the networks and data that users use or want to use, or didn’t know they could use, in more useful ways.

      However, a formal standard is still needed that specifies exactly what technologies and security models will enable the successful growth of a widget market across desktop and mobile platforms/markets.

    10. Your website is irrelevant and must evovle at CreunaBlog August 17th, 2007 4:31 am

      […] Ved du f.eks. hvad en Widget er? Bør din virksomhed have en Widget strategy - og i den relation - hvad er det lige Widget marketing er? For at forstå skal du lige læse nedenstående fra også fra Jeremiahs blog: […]

    11. Arsalan Ahmed December 27th, 2007 11:54 pm

      Hi,
      Can You please help me getting some material, since I want to create my own “widget” on my site and want to let the people come on my site and I will let them have a code to display that widget on their site.

      I am searching for it since long I will very much thankful to you for this Help

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