Cow dung and Web 2.0

I have had several marketing / sales conversations recently where I am trying to describe the Web 2.0 direction that we are all heading.

When you are working with people who know that term: "Web 2.0" - then the conversation starts at a different point.

But, the backstory of the conversation is always in the same direction...."what should I do?"

Web 2.0 is more thought and more work.

When a marketing company is used to sending out BRC cards and then hoping they bought the right list, or offered the right incentive, or used the right color...then getting them to actually think about content and authenticity, to actually ASK about that content, and to then convince others that possibly getting ripped apart by their customers is a GOOD thing is a challenge.

A challenge...but it is right.

Look - Web 2.0 means asking better questions...of yourself...of your partners...of your customers...of your upset customers in particular.

That is the mindset...now, what are the tools. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that have the Web 2.0 concept of true, authentic, rough-around-the-edges interaction built in to their DNA.

Here is a site that lists many of them....it is astounding how many of these companies / websites there are.

Web 2.0 List on Sacred Cow Dung

Managing Marketing Expectations

I just had a great illustration of managed expectations and what that does in different situations.

A year ago I had a huge city project tear up my street for a total of 10 months. There was not one single piece of communication from the city about what this was, how long it would last, the sequence of events, what to expect...nothing.

The only thing we got in our mail box in 10 months was two notes from the construction crew about when the massive earth diggers and movers were going to be making getting into or out of my driveway impossible. Nice enough, but there was very little actual info in there. We lived each day for 10 months inside of a construction site that we know nothing about...even asking the crew wasn't helpful. Big surprise.

The entire neighborhood was hacked off. Our City council member got replaced this past year...largely because of that experience.

Now, one year later the same construction company is doing the same type of project adjacent to a condominium development that my family is a part of. The difference is that this project is much larger and more time consuming to complete.

The other difference is the level of communication from the city as well as the construction company. They have communicated well with everyone in the building, the surrounding neighborhood, the nearby shops, etc. We know what is going on, what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, and how long it is going to take, (18 months!).

The people aren't happy about the timeline, but it is an important project and everyone is approaching it with a sense of humor and understanding.

Same project...same company...different approach.

Seth Godin talks and posts and writes a lot about what little tiny things you need to do to make an experience move from bad to great.

I know this isn't a new idea. I know this is a simple idea. I know this is not a ground breaking concept.

But if it is so basic...how come so few companies actually do the little extra work to make it happen?