In the world of Internet advertising, traffic rules king. More traffic means more advertising revenue, so big Web sites like ESPN.com often embark on elaborate online promotions to drive visitors to their site. But with still-imperfect Internet technologies and unpredictable users, it’s easy for Web promotions to run into a glitch or two. BusinessWeek has an interesting featured article by Tim Catts that explains why open communication is the best practice when online promos don’t go as planned:
Internet marketing gurus and experts on online life say it’s essential to be proactive and keep communication open with participants in Web promotions gone awry. That’s because users can easily start their own blogs, seek out online forums, or turn to video-sharing sites like YouTube to voice their concerns, transforming the Internet into a megaphone for their discontent.
And it’s especially true when promotions take the form of games that encourage players to invest a lot of time in pursuit of a big payoff—whether it’s a cash prize, as in the CNBC and TheStreet.com contests, or bragging rights over college buddies and co-workers, as is often the case in fantasy sports. “In a Web 2.0 world, dissatisfaction is viral,” says Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer for Nielsen BuzzMetrics.
The moral of the story is to take your Web promotions seriously and do everything you can to find out what your participants expect and how to live up to those expectations. Otherwise, you’ll be living with a horde of displeased users, each with the power to broadcast their discontent to the rest of the world.
(Image of The Wheel of Fortune by nor#cal#jeff, CC 2.0)
