Michael Phelps’ Weblog

Many people have heard of the phrase Web 2.0, and what it means. For those who haven’t, Web 2.0 is, in its simplst form marketing yourself through different social networking medium such as MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube, etc.

Many “experts” in the IT field would disagree that this is an effective method of Marketing. In an article published on ZDNet, it was cited that only 1 out of 12 business CIOs (Chief Information Officer) actually agree that Web 2.0 practices even work The rest prefer the old “belly-to-belly method”

“Mike Roberts, IT director at Harley Street practice the London Clinic, added: “I prefer to network face-to-face. I think the electronic networking is flawed as it is vital to interact in person to get a relationship to be of any value.”
(Read the full article)

So do we agree? Is web 2.0 Marketing a waste of time? Can we get more value from Face-to-Face marketing than we can by promoting ourselves and branding ourselves on the Internet?

When you think about it, Face-To-Face marketing is meeting someone, maybe having a short conversation and then getting down to the nitty gritty of why you contacted that person in the first place. Now at first, you might develop a repor with your prospective client, but then when you just jump into the pitch, you tend to lose your client because to them, you are just another “salesman looking to make a buck.”

Now, lets take the Web 2.0 approach. You have a website, You have a MySpace, You have a YouTube and a Blog, and all that good stuff. You begin to fill those pages with content. Not selling your product, but marketing yourself. Eventually, when people start to realize that you aren’t necessarily trying to sell them anything, they subscribe, and come back to your videos, or blog, or whatever it is you have. Eventually, they will actually come to you to learn about your product, or service, or whatever else it is you provide. Why? Because you have branded yourself as an expert in your chosen category, and you’ve done it without being pushy, without overselling, without selling at all, really. All you’ve really done is brought visitors to your site.

So which one would you rather be known as? A pushy salesman, or an expert in your field who knows what you are talking about and instead of coming to prospective clients, they actually come to you? Wouldn’t it be nice to see your inbox flooded with “Please Tell me More” messages instead of “Please Take Me Off Your List?”

Do the Math

Michael Phelps is an Internet Marketing Consultant, and leader within the GUTz Community. Through training and mentoring, he has helped new Internet Marketers develop successful businesses. Visit him at http://games.psyberconsulting.info