WebProNews

Widgets are all the rage lately, as evidenced by the avalanche at Facebook once the social networking site opened up to developers. Advertisers, too, are figuring out that if you want to get to the younger crowds, widgets are the way to go.

Young people are more receptive to them, as they offer something useful, rather than a banner ad that just takes up space, or more intrusive advertising. In fact, according to one source, kids actually "enjoy" toying around with ad-related widgets on their personal pages.

What they need is an incentive to post a logo or widget on their site, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing a study of online young people. IM avatars, games, videos, coupons, animated characters, videos and make great widgets to offer.

Already, about 20 percent of teens added marketing content to their profiles, so they are most certainly receptive. The interactive, mutually beneficial nature of widgets can produce a relationship with potential consumers that is cooperative rather than intrusive or "in your face" marketing.

At the beginning of this year, Nick Wilson, CEO of ClickInfluence predicted that 2007 would be a big year for widgets and encouraged marketers to consider "widgetbaiting," or enticing applications web users could download to their own sites.

Though the widget takes traffic away from the brand site, the brand travels with the consumer to other consumers, creating a nice relationship with the marketer.