The New #1 Rule of Online Marketing: Be Useful, Launch Widgets

We recently completed development of our very first application for Facebook. The application is called BlogTips and it enables users to share their tips for what makes a great blog with their friends and the wider blogging community on Facebook.

Last week I posted that we’re eating our own dog food by building this Facebook widget. Building applications that add value to existing communities is one of the best ways to get the word out about anything.

In fact, usefulness appears to be the new #1 rule of online marketing. If your blog doesn’t provide any useful information, nobody will read it. I guarantee that your audience isn’t interested in your corporate marketing talk or the latest press release. They want real, practical information that adds value to their daily lives. The same is true of applications for social networks. People don’t want to stick your advertising on their profiles. But if you provide something that they’ll find useful, they’ll be more interested in helping you get the word out.

We sincerely hope that our contribution to the growing library of Facebook applications is a useful one. Of course, if you’ve tried it out and you think it stinks, we want to know that, too. Leave us a comment, link to this post, or drop me an e-mail if you have feedback either way.