The task of the marketer has, at its deepest level, remained constant over the years.
The digital revolution has brought technology to the fore, but we are ultimately in the game of communication.
Successful marketers understand the motivations of their audience and know how to persuade people into taking action. This is particularly true in the arena of search.
The average consumer’s relationship with search engines has changed fundamentally in the mobile-first era.
When they want to go, do, or know, consumers reach for search. The whole premise of “micro-moments” was built entirely on this insight.
Google now wants to usher us into the “Age of Assistance”, where every need is fulfilled by speaking to our phones, our speakers, and pretty much any object they can put their software into.
Predictions estimate that the Google Assistant will reside on more than 1 billion devices soon, while Amazon has already sold over 100 million Alexa devices.
Search is not a niche or specialist discipline today; it is ambient, it is dependable, and it is connected to consumers through a wide range of intent states every day.
As search marketers, the holy grail is, therefore, to deliver exceptional experiences for the customer from inspiration through to loyalty.
Keyword-stuffed copy doesn’t cut it anymore in such a demanding and competitive environment.
Technology can help us to bridge this communicative gap to our audience in new, innovative ways, but only if we maximize the potential of human psychology – both to understand our audience and to develop the skills we will need to thrive. […]