Search marketing and email campaigns are often looked at by marketers as separate tactics. However, email campaigns can now be leveraged beyond the subscriber base and published to the web via new social media channels. In turn, search marketing efforts can be designed to drive more eyeballs to not only a company's website, but to a particular email initiative.
So, how does the nimble marketer leverage an integrated approach to search marketing that drives better email ROI and vice versa? This article will discuss why search is an important part of an integrated marketing campaign and touch on the symbiotic relationship between search and email marketing, and where social media marketing plays in the mix.
Why search is important
Search marketing has important implications for businesses. In today's online world, search engines are often a first stop for consumers looking for content, deals, general information, reviews and more, which influences critical purchasing decisions. A buttoned-up search marketing strategy takes advantage of both paid search and search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to elevate a company's presence in the search results of specific keywords.
However, a recent study proves that search marketing's importance goes beyond just making it to the first page of a Google search. A recent survey conducted by Jupiter Research (now part of Forrester) found that 61 percent of reluctant consumers can be positively swayed online. This has strong implications for a brand’s online presence and subsequently how their target consumers and prospects find them online.
Search and email -- the symbiotic relationship
Most marketers understand that email marketing and search marketing have some sort of connection. But, more often than not, these two functions are siloed in different departments or viewed by marketers as two separate tasks with two different reporting methods. However, as the web continues to become a more social place and with nomadic audiences seamlessly moving around the web, search and email have a newfound need to work in tandem to capture prospects' attention and ultimately drive results.
First, let's look at how search engine marketing (SEM) can drive results for email marketing programs. Most companies purchase keywords from search engines that best associate their brand with what prospective and existing customers are most likely to search for on the web. Combining this with organic, in-house SEO efforts helps to boost search marketing efforts. This is basic SEM practice.
However, what if consumers put in a search term on Google and are taken to a landing page where they are encouraged to sign-up for an email newsletter? This helps drive searchers to become part of a brand's email marketing process, driving larger subscriptions and engagement, as the consumer chooses to opt-in and is therefore more likely to act. By integrating search and email marketing with web analytics, marketers can understand more holistically what search terms and keywords are driving traffic to the landing page and augment email content accordingly to better reach, serve, and engage their key audience. This integrated approach could close the loop for marketers by measuring these campaigns and their results and optimizing in real-time.
Similarly, email marketing can also help drive search success. Consider a newsletter campaign promoting a seasonal deal to customers and prospects. The email gets automatically optimized for the web so the content is picked up and posted by Google. With emerging tools such as social media site sharing widgets, email campaigns can also present viewers with options to share newsletters on social networking and other aggregating sites that they are members of or visit often, such as Digg, del.icio.us, and Facebook. This effectively shares your email with a broad online audience of fans, supporters, and others. And, it offers hyperlinked content that drives even more people back to your website or landing page.
Next page >>
