Widgets are in the news with stories in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on their explosive growth.

What is a widget?

Widgets are just ways to display or distribute digital content.  Other terms used to describe a Web widget include gadget, badge, module, capsule, snippet, mini and flake.  Web widgets most often use Adobe Flash or JavaScript programming languages.  They are usually customized with personalized content-- photos, news, etc--- and are commonly found on blogs, social networking sites and other personalized pages.  Authors range from professional software designers and developers, to hobbyists, to major media outlets.

Why should you or your business care about widgets?

* Personalized media. Widgets are all about customizing content to you and your customers. Widgets place content and ultimately advertising, in the control of the people that use them. 

* Unlimited unpaid distribution. Everyone is getting into the distribution of widgets. From major television studios (NBC, Fox, & CBS)  to search engines (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL). Almost 2 million people have downloaded WeatherBug's various widgets and gadgets, including those built for Vista, Google, Yahoo and Apple.  Where else could you advertise your company to a few million people for almost nothing? (Just the cost of development).

* Desktops rule. Want your marketing message heard?  Create a desktop widget. Getting your widget onto someone’s computer screen means your brand is constantly displayed.  Whether it's a permanent home for your logo in the system tray, the toolbar, the start menu, or a dock area. Every minute people are using their computers, they could be viewing your brand in some fashion. Plus, you can provide a constant connection through which to stream relevant information, messages, alerts, and offers.

* Images rule. Face it, we would all rather watch something than read about it.  Widgets are mostly Flash-based, which means that they can carry video. Mix that with lots of highly attractive consumers who are deeply engaged in viewing, distributing, modifying and interacting with widgets and you have a recipe for explosive growth.

* Widgets are addictive & inexpensive to produce. Spend a few minutes searching the library of widgets available and I guarantee you will get caught up in widget mania.  Of course, before you can start marketing with widgets, we recommend becoming a user yourself first.  The best place we have found to do that is with Yahoo Widgets.

Get Started with Yahoo! Widgets? (Yes they are free)

The Yahoo! Widget Gallery offers over 4,000 desktop Widgets.  It is a desktop application that adds a “dock” to your computer screen.  To start you will need to install a small Yahoo installer file.  Then, when you search the widget gallery for your favorite one, it’s just one click away.  Overall it took me about 2 minutes to download and get it set up on my desktop.  Download one that disappoints you?  Just delete it. Get started here http://widgets.yahoo.com/info/

Other Ways to Market with Widgets
Real estate: clients could receive immediate feedback as to real estate availability
Restaurant: distribute a receipe of the day
Golf course: send  "hole of the day" images
Ski Area: Desktop snow and trail conditions
Doctor's Office: Daily pregnancy "to do" lists
Grocery store: top sale prices
Insurance Agent: Home safety tips
Attraction: Live web cam images

Get your own marketing widget, ask us how
Give us a call at 888-215-0820.

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