Conversational marketing has been all the rage on blogs in recent years, but is there any proof that it really works? A new white paper from Communispace offers convincing evidence that it does help increase levels of engagement. Online, at least.
The report — Beyond the “Other” Box: Giving Customers an Independent Voice in Your Community (free PDF, registration required) — suggests that when organizations give their customers control of “small, private, online communities,” the result is higher levels of participation. The implication:
Ensuring that members can make their voices heard independent of the sponsor’s agenda and making the dialogue truly reciprocal may also help members feel valued and listened to, and thus promote participation. When members take a site and make it their own, it becomes a much more engaging place to visit.
Link via Bloghound, who shares more details about the research.
Andy writes! 
Not only does conversational marketing work online, it is critical. Today’s web users are more progressive. They don’t want to just surf and read, they want and expect to interact. Static information sites are dead in the world of Web 2.0 and social networking. The best thing to come from it is honesty & integrity. When the visitors/ customers can offer their opinions, people are a little more cautious about the accuracy and value of the information they provide.
I agree with Tim Berry! Marketing conversationally is becoming critical due to the back links associated with the articles. Of course the content must be relevant or this method will stink of spam (apologies to the meat lovers) and not work. Establishing yourself as an “entrepreneur in the know” is a must to ensure interest in your article and marketing endeavors.
The term white paper is an offshoot of the term white book, which is an official publication of a national government. A famous example is the White Paper Winston Churchill White Paper on the political conflict in Palestine.
A white paper argues usually a certain position or a solution to a problem. Although White Papers their roots in the policies of the government, they have become a common tool used to technological innovations and products. A typical search engine query on the “White Paper” will return millions of results, with many focused on technology-related issues.
White Papers are powerful marketing tools used by decision-makers and influencers justify implementing solutions. For some examples of White Papers in the IT market,