The five key components of Web 3.0 marketing are microblogging, virtual reality worlds, customisation/personalisation, mobile, and on-demand collaboration, according to Michael Tasner in his book Marketing in the Moment: The Practical Guide to Using Web 3.0 Marketing to Reach Your Customers First. Web 2.0 – which consists of social networks, social media, user-generated content, and social news and bookmarking – has become oversaturated, and it no longer provides the best opportunities for marketers.
A key trend which the book identifies is the trend towards the use of mobile devices to access the Internet and read emails. Chapter 4 describes a range of opportunities for mobile marketing, ranging from SMS marketing through mobile web marketing and in-game mobile marketing. The current trend towards iPhones, Blackberries, Android devices and other smartphone and tablet devices is going to continue, and there are still plenty of effective mobile marketing opportunities.
I am not entirely convinced that the trends which the author describes as Web 3.0 form a coherent whole or are clearly separable from Web 2.0. Facebook (2004), Wikipedia (2001), and YouTube (2005) are said to belong to the “old” Web 2.0, whereas Twitter (2006), UStream (2007) and Second Life (2003) are said to belong to the “new” Web 3.0. I find the trends which the author has identified persuasive, but it does seem from reading the book as a whole that the author is recommending a marketing mix which includes the old as well as the new.
I was initially put off by the author’s self-assertive writing style, but the book was so full of content that sparked useful ideas that I could not fail to enjoy it. Reading a book seems to be a very un-Web 3.0 thing to do, but it certainly gave one useful perspective on how web marketing should fit together.