As the world evolves and the needs and wants of consumers evolve along with it, we can see that online marketing and social media are evolving at a rapid pace as well. As for the growth of search media, we can see a steady climb in those figures as well. Here are a few statistics to mull over before you shirk our opinions: Google websites process just over eighty eight billion queries a month and Twitter is close to approaching twenty billion. The social media magnate, facebook added over two hundred million users in less than one year and Experian Hitwise has reported that facebook consistently tops Google every week in internet traffic. What does this mean? For one thing, there is no denying that social media is literally on fire but this does not mean that it is mutually exclusive of search media. Search media has moved beyond Google and as marketers we must now take into consideration that other search channels like the internal facebook search and even mobile searches are channels that consumers are opting to use as viable options.
The intersection of social media and search engine innovations are in a state of flux with the dynamics of the ever changing consumer preferences for information discovery, consumption and sharing. Luckily in the blur of all this change lies an opportunity for marketers and brands to engage a dynamic and active marketing strategy that can converge the disciplines of search, content, social media and online public relations. As far as the future of online marketing, we believe that the best of all the disciplines will be amalgamated. Whether it is B2C or B2B, consumer needs will be met through robust PR that is bolstered by SEO and also, social media marketers will be thoroughly versed in media relations. Something we see occurring more often now is that due to the availability of so many sources of information online, sales cycles are certainly becoming longer. Customers are no longer sated by just a presentation of features and benefits and then the mandatory call to action.
As marketers we have to be willing to do and give more. Nothing is better than…BETTER. We have to craft better content. We have to work on increasing visibility. We have to ensure dynamic, creative and relevant placement in all the areas that customers may already be looking or might be influenced by. This in turn also means that we will inspire a better experience in brand and consumer interactions. We have to be able to provide search engine users with more than just a means to search. What do they want? Now, when searchers search, they expect more than just the results, they also want the ability to interact with their results via commenting, rating, joining sites as well as making purchases. You can have a look at yodle customer reviews to see what merchants are experiencing by enabling more direct interactions with their clients. The future of online marketing is going to find us taking the virtual world by storm, moving from a stoic technological beast to something with a little more heart, something that connects with customers and something that closes the gaps between work and play online.
