Page 18 - index
P. 18
RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS
Could social gain a share of search budgets?
“In many respects, social media and paid search are
ideal partners”, eMarketer states in its new report
“Search and Social Platforms: How Facebook and
Others Can Steal Dollars from Search”. One facili-
tates branding and engagement, while the other
helps seal the deal by driving traffic, leads and
sales. But this cozy pairing doesn’t end there, the
research provider emphasizes.
When Facebook began selling advertising, it did so
through an auction-based ad marketplace that used in-
terest- and demographic-based targeting, which was
purposely analogous to the keyword-driven auction mar-
ketplace that Google and other search engines offer.
That similarity helped Facebook build an enormous ad-
vertising business by making it easy for companies to
streamline the mechanics of social ad buying.
But the close partnership of search and social (at least
in advertisers’ minds—Google and Facebook, the pri- There is no question that search is a powerful signal of
mary companies in each of those channels, have never intent, and typical social media interactions provide far
been friends) is about to be tested. fewer of these signals, but there are signs that social is
playing a somewhat larger role in product research and
In the past year, Google and Facebook have introduced information-gathering than before.
ad products that borrow from each other’s playbook,
and both are making mobile the centerpiece of their ad For example, research has found that younger internet
business. In another corner, Pinterest is targeting users are more likely than older generations to turn to
search advertisers in a bid to expand its revenue base social media interactions with brands when researching
beyond social media budgets. a product before purchase. According to a May 2016
survey of US internet users by Salesforce, millennial
And on the usage side, there is mounting evidence that respondents were five times more likely to tap into their
consumers are using social platforms for research and brand connections than were baby boomers (25% vs.
discovery. While this activity by no means takes the 5%). However, only 14% of total respondents said they
place of search, it represents a new wrinkle for market- used social media as a research source, so this is not a
ers to consider. major shift in behavior.◊
eMarketer PRO customers view the full report
18 Asian eMarketing - September 2016 - Search Analytics & Search Engine Optimization
Could social gain a share of search budgets?
“In many respects, social media and paid search are
ideal partners”, eMarketer states in its new report
“Search and Social Platforms: How Facebook and
Others Can Steal Dollars from Search”. One facili-
tates branding and engagement, while the other
helps seal the deal by driving traffic, leads and
sales. But this cozy pairing doesn’t end there, the
research provider emphasizes.
When Facebook began selling advertising, it did so
through an auction-based ad marketplace that used in-
terest- and demographic-based targeting, which was
purposely analogous to the keyword-driven auction mar-
ketplace that Google and other search engines offer.
That similarity helped Facebook build an enormous ad-
vertising business by making it easy for companies to
streamline the mechanics of social ad buying.
But the close partnership of search and social (at least
in advertisers’ minds—Google and Facebook, the pri- There is no question that search is a powerful signal of
mary companies in each of those channels, have never intent, and typical social media interactions provide far
been friends) is about to be tested. fewer of these signals, but there are signs that social is
playing a somewhat larger role in product research and
In the past year, Google and Facebook have introduced information-gathering than before.
ad products that borrow from each other’s playbook,
and both are making mobile the centerpiece of their ad For example, research has found that younger internet
business. In another corner, Pinterest is targeting users are more likely than older generations to turn to
search advertisers in a bid to expand its revenue base social media interactions with brands when researching
beyond social media budgets. a product before purchase. According to a May 2016
survey of US internet users by Salesforce, millennial
And on the usage side, there is mounting evidence that respondents were five times more likely to tap into their
consumers are using social platforms for research and brand connections than were baby boomers (25% vs.
discovery. While this activity by no means takes the 5%). However, only 14% of total respondents said they
place of search, it represents a new wrinkle for market- used social media as a research source, so this is not a
ers to consider. major shift in behavior.◊
eMarketer PRO customers view the full report
18 Asian eMarketing - September 2016 - Search Analytics & Search Engine Optimization
