Many brands have harnessed the power of widgets over the years. As the use and marketing of these tools become more commonplace, it's only natural that more marketers are asking if widgets are right for them. Whether you are a publisher looking to gain traction and loyalty on the crowded web, a retailer attempting to make it easier for customers to interact with you while building your brand, or an aspiring developer anxious to create the next great widget, there are many reasons why more people are listening when it comes to widgets. But should you care? And if so, why?

The industry is still working to develop standards when it comes to measuring the success of a widget (beyond how many people "grabbed" your widget) and the growth forecast for the industry. Part of the challenge may be that there are many different types of widgets with many different types of goals. Some aim to simply build brands while others are part of a sophisticated content distribution strategy. Others are viral tools to support a new product, service, movie, etc. And then, of course, you can sponsor or serve a banner ad in someone else's widget, or you can build your own. However, if we were to just use anecdotal stories as a way to determine why one should care about widgets, there would most likely be enough to convince most marketers that there is a sea of opportunity. At the same time, there are as many failed ventures to scare off those still new to the world of widgets before they even get started. 

Despite all of the buzz and headlines that a few of the big breakthroughs have garnered, widget success is not guaranteed. With that said, companies should consider the following points before embarking on the journey of creating their own widget:

1. Creating the widget is not enough. Before you even go down the path of building your own widget, do your homework and decide if a widget is right for you. Understand what your customers want from your site/brand and how your widget will make it easier, more fun, more memorable or worth talking about. If you feel you have a homerun on your hands and widgets are indeed right for you based on your priorities and customer needs, it's time to decide how you will market your widget to break through the clutter and be sustainable.

2. Does my widget idea already exist? In today's competitive environment many ideas may already exist. This doesn't mean you can't improve on an existing concept, just that you should be aware of it and determine how you can best improve on it to get people to interact with your widget.

3. Define your goals and set clear success metrics. Although industry standards are still being developed, most companies know what is important to them. Whether you are a publisher fighting for eyeballs to monetize, a branded site looking to get customers to download your app, or you have distribution partners use and market your widget/sales engine to their audiences, you can't achieve success if you haven't defined it. This process should also help you decide who you should partner with and how much you can spend on your venture.

When should I develop a widget?
Whenever I am asked this question by colleagues, my boss or friends in the industry, I revert back to my previous points about first understanding if you should even be talking about widgets. It really does depend on your goals, your budget and your customer base. Do your customers care about widgets, does this help support your higher level goals as a brand/company, and do you have the budget to take a swing and a miss? 

Before you decide if the time is right for your team to develop the next great widget, you might want to consider following the advice of a fellow iMediaConnection.com writer, Evan Gerber, whose thoughtful article "Avoid these Facebook faux pas" offered these words of wisdom. "Do some serious soul searching. Are you embarking on a social networking (widget initiative in this case) campaign because someone thinks it's cool, or because it fits in with a larger approach? Think of it like any other marketing channel -- if it's not part of a larger holistic strategy, it's likely to fail." 

Although his comments were specific to a social media campaign, they are relevant to the widget decision as well. I couldn't think of a better way to put it, so thanks for the words here, Evan!