Israel: The next new center of digital and high-tech?

Do you know Blonde 2.0?  Well, if you do business in Israel and want your brand to be visible in the social media space, you better know the face behind the blog.  Her name is Ayelet Noff and she is a Social Marketing Consultant based in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Originally from New York, she moved to the Middle Eastern country 8 years ago and has worked in high-tech, marketing and with start-ups. 

In a recent vodcast by JD Lasica (Ourmedia, Social Media Group & Darknet), Ayelet divulges that the social media/Web 2.0 scene in Israel is ”very strong.”  She says that the number of startups and businesses in the high-tech and digital space is ”tremendous” compared to the number of people in the industry. 

I checked out some of the companies that she is currently working with…they are pretty cool.

• Zlango.com – icon language
• Zoomabet.com – virtual betting communities 
• my6sense.com - mobile information delivery

Here are some of what I think are Ayelet’s key points: 

• It is important to understand that blogs and social networks are two different kinds of channels so they require very different approaches. 
• Social marketing is very different from SEO and traditional marketing.  It requires listening to consumers/users.
• If a brand/business wants to approach a blogger, do so in a personal way vs. general (won’t pay attention to you). 
• Web 2.0 is an extension of how people have always been, even in tribal times.  Think of social networks as different tribes – each tribe has something in common. 

There is one comment she made that I found to be particularly valuable.  She says, “Social marketing is not something that will give immediate results.”  She further explains that building online communities around a brand is a process that requires patience.  If it is done right, a brand can gain a lot of exposure and presence online.   

For Ayelet, social media has helped her to keep more and tighter connections to the people she cares about. 

Who thought Israel can potentially be a big player in the Web 2.0 space?  It certainly didn’t cross my mind, but I have to ask myself…why not?  They do have one of the most (if not the most) advanced armies in the world.  

I was in Israel in 1999 for about 2 months.  It was amazing!  Though I saw a lot of different parts of the country, rode a camel and stayed over night in a kibbutz, I did not see this side of the country that Ayelet talks about.  I would love to go back specifically to see the high-tech, Web 2.0 aspect of the country.  Too bad I can’t attend MashBash Tel Aviv in June.

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