Traditional advertisers could learn a thing or two from search marketing
When we undertake a natural search optimization for a client, one of the first bridges we cross
is determining which pages to prioritize. We review keyword queries based on volume and relevance to our client's business to find the terms that represent the biggest opportunities. In many
instances, we uncover terms that clients don't have the content or landing pages to effectively support. At this point, our job becomes more about consulting on client assets than merely
optimizing existing pages. Search behavior becomes a key to designing a client's digital footprint to better attract consumers. This is just one example of how understanding search can help
advertisers optimize their communication platforms. When you consider that 6.5 billion searches take place each month, covering an infinite number of topics, the consumer insight opportunity becomes
pretty clear: Search engines may represent the world's largest consumer research panel waiting to be harnessed.
When you're managing search closely, you know which products generate the
most queries during any given month and how they trend over time. Search data can also help demonstrate which attributes are increasing or decreasing in importance for consumers. In the search world,
these insights are used to optimize bidding, copy, and other campaign elements, but the implications are broader.
If, for example, the search manager for an electronics brand notices an
upward trend in the number of queries related to USB-enabled home theaters, that information should make it into creative briefs. You might not build an entire spot around it, but it might influence
how you shoot the product. It should also be shared with research and development teams tracking consumer interests.
In the entertainment category, natural search activity can provide a
window into when consumers start seeking information on upcoming movies, and which films they're seeking out most. Not only should this data be leveraged to improve flighting strategies, but it could
also prove valuable in projecting box office.
The applications seem endless, but there are challenges in harnessing the data. You're better positioned if you're already active in the
space, but it's not a prerequisite. A few ways to start applying search insights more broadly:
Focus on trends. Often the people closest to search are overly focused on short-term
performance. They're intimately familiar with every keyword, but not with behavior over time. If you have the data, take the time to break your terms down by category and look at changes in
impressions volume over three, six, 12, or 24 months. If you aren't consistently active in search, look to the engines for assistance in compiling the data.
Experiment and refine needs. Spend
time with Google Trends and Yahoo's Buzz Index, which aggregate search queries and provide relative indices trending volume over time. Google Trends also maps news items to query volumes, so you can
start to see what drives upswings or downturns. The tools are far from perfect, but they're good at helping to isolate data points you really want.
Establish processes and create dialogue.
Among the biggest obstacles in leveraging search data across communication planning is that these are often managed separately at agency and client levels. Search marketers are starting to get a seat
at the strategic table, but we need to improve how we plug search into planning on a more consistent basis. It's important that constituents on both sides of the fence create processes that clearly
identify desired insights, align with planning cycles, and create personal accountability.