Web 2.0 is far more than wiki’s or blogs, its a fundamental shift in social responsibility and transparency. Its the great democratic tool, and it is wielded on our politics, social lives, and economics. It is a wave of change in the right direction.
As a corporation it is essential to realize the benefits of collaborating with customers, understand trends, and making sure to keep with the spirit of web 2.0. It is no longer just about features on your website, it is about a cultural change in the organization. It is really frustrating to see resistance to change, expecially when the benefits are so important, but it is hard to blame old-styled corporations fearing economic change – this really is the hippy thought revolution of our time. It’s Peace and Love, but also with a dash of transparency and a bucket-load of accountability.
Why is it important for corporations to let down their hair? Because bad public feedback can trample the best marketing campaigns and markets change depending on customer habits.
Unhappy customers can, now more than ever, be your worst nightmare. You can’t stop critism, but you can make a negative into a positive.
Give customers a chance to express their frustration on the internet. This gives you 3 very important opportunities;
- its giving you the opportunity to win back the customer,
- its letting everyone else know you care about customers,
- and its enabling you to learn more about your customer.
People are fair, they know that not everyone will be happy with a corporation, but they will respect and trust a corporation which responds to their customers. Corporate 2.0 is about building trust, and unless your corporation makes this a priority from top to bottom people will see right through you and choose a company they do trust.
Corporate 2.0 is also about understanding what user’s want, and breaking old rules. I’ve seen an avalance of ads from Aviva (formeraly Norwich Union) screaming a more open approach to business. They are providing insurance quotes online which show thier rates and the rates of their competitors. Nothing new really (and maybe released too late for a real benefit), but it is an example of a large corporation finally listening to users.
Corporations need to be more creative and experimental. Why are start-ups innovating the web and leaving corporations scratching their heads? I put the blame on the fear of change and lack of open-minded leadership. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, in response to a unique proposal, “yeah that’s great, but that’s not our business”.
Stick with your old business for too long and you’ll find it no longer exists.
