Best Internet MarketingWigets

Now, without further ado, here's Managing Editor Eileen Shulock with the top 15 resources and tools for Internet marketing widgets that you must have on your radar screen. Take it away, ES...
Media Widgets

iLike
http://www.ilike.com

iLike is the hippest of the hip music-sharing widgets. It's connected with social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook, and what it does is allow you to share music recommendations and playlists as well as suggest new music based on what you like.

At the time of writing, it had more than 27 million registered users, which encourages bands to market to and even launch their tunes on the network. How does iLike make money? At the time of writing, it was one of the top five traffic sources for both iTunes and TicketMaster.

Snap
http://www.snap.com

Using Snap, when you create a link to another site your visitor can roll over that link and actually interact with that content in a pop-up of sorts called a "snap shot." Snap calls this "distributed media."

For example, the visitor can get Google Maps directions, see a person's profile on a social network or interact with an advertisement by playing a video or the like, because Snap is also an advertising network. You can do all these things without leaving the page on which link or ad appears.

Both your website and the linking website must be members of the Snap Shots network in order for this to work. This company is heavily venture-backed and at the time of writing more than 2 million sites were network members.
Widget Galleries

Widgipedia
http://www.widgipedia.com

Widgipedia is an enormous directory of all things widget. It includes a widget gallery, lists of widget developers, a "Request a Widget" marketplace that connects developers with people who want specific projects done and more.

The extensive list of widgets ranges from those employed by major sites (a syndicated store offered by NBC that you can put on your site so visitors can buy products from the shows that you write about) to the whimsical (a desktop widget that is a live cam of the flamingos in the Smithsonian's National Zoo).

TypePad Widget Gallery
http://www.sixapart.com/typepad/widgets/

If your blog is published using one of the major publishing platforms, you will find that the platform has a gallery of widgets for you to use. These widgets have been specifically designed to integrate with your platform. One example on TypePad is the "Feedjit Collaborative Filter Widget," which suggests interesting pages on your blog for readers based on what they are reading at that time. Another is a widget that enables people to search for a home in the ForSaleByOwner.com database directly from your blog page.

Tip: If you use TypePad to publish your blog, you can go here to see the widgets available. If you use Blogger or Wordpress, then go to those respective sites to see what cool tools are available for your particular platform. Many of these are similar from one platform to the next, but you will also find some that are unique.

Widget Ad Networks

Triggit
http://triggit.com

Triggit is an affiliate and ad management tool that is integrated with AdSense, Amazon and other major networks. Website publishers who join the Triggit network can use the Triggit widget to basically drag and drop content (such as Amazon products or an advertisement) right into their site.

Triggit does everything from aggregating advertising inventory and choosing the right ads for your site (or you can do this yourself, if you like) to tracking, analysis and payment to the website owner.

mediaFORGE
http://www.mediaforge.com

This company is an ad network that has incorporated a widget into the banner ads it serves, which they call an "interactive ad unit." When a user clicks on the banner, a Flash window pops up that features content from the advertiser, so the user can actually interact right then and there.

One partner is Overstock.com, which embeds product search and a "daily steal" directly into their banner widget. According to the case study at the site, Overstock.com's MediaFORGE ads achieved a 27% increase in clickthrough and a 25% increase in revenue as compared to their traditional advertising.
Marketing Widget Examples

JS-Kit Advisor
http://js-kit.com/experian/

This company has created a widget call the "Advisor" in partnership with Experian. The widget channels data from BizSource (Experian's commercial database). It is designed to offer an instant "Biz Check," which is Experian's overall summary of a company's business information (how long it has been in business, whether there are liens and judgments against it) plus a simple credit rating system.

The same type of widget is available in partnership with J.D. Power to provide consumer ratings of products. The idea behind this is that companies that sell a number of products or list a number of businesses (such as a local business directory) can offer instant, credible information on said products or businesses right at the point of perusal by the site visitor.

Superpages.com
http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/superpagescom-search

This business directory offers a downloadable widget that sits on your desktop. When you search for a business of interest, you will instantly see a business profile, a map, driving directions and reviews for that business as housed in the Superpages.com database. It is available through Yahoo! Widgets and Google Gadgets.

myPapa
http://www.papajohns.com/widgets/faqs.htm

Papa John's desktop application not only delivers coupons and special offers from your local Papa John's... it saves a list of your favorite orders as well. So log on, crack open a beer, turn on the tube and you're ready to go.

Widget News and Analysis

VentureBeat
http://venturebeat.com/?s=widget

VentureBeat is an excellent resource if you're interested in keeping on top of the latest widget news and the business angle of how widget companies are making money. It also covers social media, since widgets are often designed to take advantage of social viral and sharing tendencies.

At the time of writing, trends in the business of widgets were ad networks, entertainment and smartphone applications. The helpful angle of this site is that it shares information about venture funding and who's behind widget companies so you get a sense of how "real" their potential is.

S Widget
Widget News

This blog offers "reviews and analysis of widgets, toolbars and distributed businesses of all flavors." You will find introductions of new widgets and the business angles behind them. We also found this to be one of the Web's best widget resources, thanks to a widget directory and links to all the other widget blogs out there.

At the time of writing, we enjoyed a fascinating post on the evolution of widgets and resulting venture funding. The timeline went from content widgets to widget galleries to widget publishing tools to "feature widgets," which are "cross domain, full-featured applications that provide a single user experience across multiple domains." The blog is written by Lawrence Coburn, who is the CEO of a distributed consumer review company called RateItAll.

Tracking Widgets

Technorati Link Count Widget
http://www.technorati.com/widgets/

Technorati is the go-to search engine for bloggers. It shows you every single link to posts made about you in other blogs, along with an authority rank that tells you how important that blog is. This widget enables you to display in real-time the number of links/discussions happening about your posts, which they call "reactions." Of course, your blog should be very active in order for this widget to be meaningful. :) There are many other interesting widgets at the site.

Tracking Widgets

PollDaddy
http://www.polldaddy.com

With this tool you can instantly publish sophisticated, interactive polls on your website or blog. In addition the company has a section called PollDaddy Answers, which is a directory of over 420,000 polls conducted by users. That is a very informative resource for anyone looking to learn more about successful polling techniques.

Widget Creation Tools

SproutBuilder
http://sproutbuilder.com

If you'd like to create your very own widgets but you don't know where to begin, you might want to check out this site. It is a Web-based authoring platform where you can drop rich media components into your "sprout" such as video, audio and the like. You can also embed connections to interactive services such as Twitter.

Your content is then transformed into a Flash file that you place into your site. At the time of writing the service was complimentary and used by both individuals and large companies such as Universal Music Canada.

Clearspring Launchpad
http://www.clearspring.com

Clearspring's complimentary Launchpad widget builder takes the "content-to-social network" route. Its goal is to help you turn your content into a widget through a step-by-step process, then give you access to its integration with all the big-name social media sites such as MySpace, FaceBook and the like.

The concept is that someone will come to your website, click the "add to MySpace" (or any other network) sharing button and launch your widget into the viral universe. The company also provides tracking and analysis. The application is available to businesses of any size. Major clients include The Today Show and the NBA.