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Social networking has really taken off in a big way, with new sites cropping up in every market and niche imaginable, and established companies incorporating Web 2.0 strategies into their existing sites. For example, suppose you wanted to search for Nantucket vacation rentals. You might choose to go to WeNeedAVacation.com to find that perfect vacation rental. This site has been around for about 10 years, but in keeping with the times, is adding social networking to their service.
They have added several new features. including video of various properties. Because these features are new, there isn’t much to see yet, and some of the features are not readily apparent, but exciting none the less. For vacationers, the site has added the ability to invite friends and family to join you on your holidays, rate and rank various properties, and add comments to the listings. For property owners, they have added the ability to upload video listings of their rental properties, allowing vacationers to do a virtual “try before you buy” on the house or condo that they will be spending their holidays in.
I think that the addition of video will be a huge selling point for both the site and property owners, as it allows prospective vacationers to see what they will be getting before they actually go there. This is, in my humble opinion, an intelligent use of Web 2.0 and social networking/marketing in a very focused niche. By employing these strategies, properties will be leveraging concepts of social proof, and ideally making their customers their most effective sales force.
Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 2:24 pmand is filed under Business, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
