In the latest installment of “All Marketers Are Geniuses,” Magnetic CEO James Green sits down with NetPlus CEO Robin Neifield to discuss the latest trends taking place in search marketing. Robin shared with Magnetic her take on how the search experience is changing for “searchers” and how this will impact digital advertising strategies.
This recent segment, titled “Keeping up With the Searchers,” touches upon key trends revealed during the holiday planning season, including dedicated budgets for social media. According to Robin, the growing role of social media “can be a powerful conduit to resources that may supplant some pure searching activity.” Indeed, consumers are tapping into their networks to “search” for information or recommendations. Google has been an early adapter to this logic, evidenced by their recent integration of Google + in its search results. Robin points out that “integrated search results now give users more choice in the kind of content that will meet their need and drive users to a broader variety of locations.”
In addition to a variety of content, users also have a variety of search devices at their fingertips. As users move from laptop to smart phone to tablet throughout their day, how are marketers to “keep up with the searchers?”
According to Robin, “integration across digital channels is now imperative…We have to understand the entire life cycle of the consumer and their varied needs and attention at different times and in different channels.” In addition, she asserts that data is the ‘backbone of good planning,’ emphasizing how critical it is for any good display campaign. In order to succeed in the evolving digital space, Robin contends that marketers have to be “equal parts psychologist, analyst, creative and visionary.”
