The online search industry is in an almost constant state of change. From year to year, the trends that dominate desktop and mobile web search change. Sometimes the big players, namely Google, are behind these changing trends. Other times, consumer behaviour creates reactionary behaviour from marketers. Whatever the case may be, the world of search is changing dramatically.
In this post, we’re going to focus on the trends that marketers need to address now, and in the future. In many cases, these search trends can be directly tied back to Pay Per Call marketing and the approach your distribution partner can use when administering and improving your marketing campaign.
Optimization Based Upon Audience
In 2014, audience-based search optimization took off. The searches that users conduct have long been a great indicator of user intent. The travel industry, for example, can use search optimization based upon specific audiences to push marketing dollars towards demographic groups that generate greater revenue and calls.
For example, consider common hotel search terms and the related demographics. A national hotel chain and a small boutique hotel tend to serve different demographics, and therefore want to target different groups. Individuals searching “Florida beach hotels” are most likely going to be cost-conscious shoppers, such as students, looking for one-time accommodations. By contrast, those searching for “romantic Florida hotels” are likely to be wealthier couples who provide a chance for greater revenues and lifetime value.
Read More: How to Optimize a Pay Per Call Campaign
Industry-Specific Ad Formatting
Once again using travel and leisure as an example, industry-specific ad formats deliver relevant marketing in searches conducted by consumers. Rather than simply providing links or brief reviews, the ads will show pricing, accommodation information, and more pertinent information consumers are looking for by placing it directly in ads.
Social Media ROI
Social media provides a powerful outlet for marketing and advertising campaigns. Marketers need to find ways to capitalize on social media shares, retweets, and more by creating engaging, relevant content that is worthy of sharing. In terms of Pay Per Call, this could include short, relevant ads that contain contact info for the business with special deals for social media customers.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
Without question, mobile optimization is the key for all businesses. Tracking and attributing calls to mobile Pay Per Call campaigns is not easy. Not every distribution partner is capable of tracking calls across multiple devices to track consumer intent. Consumer engagement and spend is rapidly expanding on mobile devices, and distribution partners need to be able to provide your business with Pay Per Call marketing campaigns targeted to generate mobile-optimized ads and landing pages.
Read More: 4 Common Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
These trends have impacted the world of online searches in 2014, and will continue to play a critical role in marketing (and Pay Per Call) next year. Marketers need to adopt their techniques with these trends in mind to stay ahead of the curve.