Many if not most radio stations are still working with a web-based handicap. They lack an Internet strategy and the resources to realize a strategy (by the way, lacking an Internet strategy will always mean you lack the resources to realize one).
This smart piece talks about the coming era of the “cut and paste” web. That is, a version of the web where all of a content provider’s bits and pieces can be cut and pasted (the technical term is “embedded”) on any page anywhere, thus enabling the user to customize their experience.
There is nothing new about this for web geeks and MySpace jockeys, but the idea that much of your traffic may originate from OFF your own station’s site is a novel notion for many folks in radio.
As your content gets more decentralized, here are three strategies (courtesy of Steve Rubel) to make the post of what’s coming:
1. As Long-form Content Becomes Bite-Size, Make Everything on Your Site Embeddable
2. Think web services, not websites. Most innovation online today is created by an army of talented, independent web developers. Sites such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook are turning themselves into platforms that can run these applications, almost like Windows did on the desktop. This has spawned hundreds of miniature online applications. To thrive, marketers need to think about how to create similar mini experiences via web services that plug into these sites yet are consistent with the brand.
3. Connect people. The web is transforming into a medium where the greatest value is created when people connect via platforms of participation around a common goal — to make money, be entertained or informed, to create, etc.
As Rubel notes, the next version of the Macintosh operating system, due out in October, has a small feature called Web Clip that turns any part of a site into a widget that lives on the consumer’s desktop. This is a big sign of things to come.
So what would a “clipped” version of your content look like? Well, here’s what mine looks like (email recipients of this post may have to click on the post title to see the image):
Get great free widgets at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com">Widgetbox</a>!
Click the “get widget” button and you can post this on your MySpace page (not that you’d want to, but you get the point).
How much of your radio station’s website can be posted on your audience’s personal web pages?