Marketing 101: Social Media or Search Engine?

I recall my first introduction to investment in digital marketing. Since then, it’s been a pretty fast moving, and fast-growing segment in the marketing universe. But as the saying goes, “there is nothing new under the sun,” and that is true in the marketing world also. It still boils down to messages, motivation, and psychology. It’s just a little easier to do the math. The two largest digital investments these days are social media and search engines, and they are not the same.

Back in the olden days, like the 1900s, there were two main types of prospects. There were, and are, many more demographics, but from a marketing point of view, it all starts with two entry points at the top of the funnel. Prospects who are in the market, and prospects who are not currently in the market but are being brought in by a well-crafted message.

Automotive listing magazines, that are now online, list vehicles for sale like classified ads in a newspaper used to do. A prospect who is already in the market for a vehicle would seek out those types of venues to shop for vehicles. The upside to this type of prospect is that they are high intention buyers. If you have the right vehicle at the right price, you can sell to this prospect. The downside to this prospect is that you are being compared to multiple other dealers and products, and that may result in a lower return on investment. Let’s face it, the best customer is the one that buys without shopping somewhere else.

The best customer is the one that buys without shopping somewhere else.

The other prospect, the one who is not in the market, is the tougher one to get, but typically much more profitable. This is the prospect being brought in by a unique message. Perhaps a sale, a limited time opportunity, a limited supply, or an otherwise unique offering that pulls a prospect into the market who otherwise may not be. “We’ve bought ten vehicles of this type and are selling them for this price. When they’re gone, they’re gone.” Off-site sales are also a good example of this. You park your inventory at the mall for a few days and suddenly people think, “Wow, they’re at the mall, but only until Saturday! We should go see what that’s all about!”

Now, you may be wondering what the hell this has to do with social media and search engine marketing. Well, a lot. Let’s think about search engine marketing and how it works. You choose a group of keywords that prospects may be searching that apply to your product. If you sell used cars you may use “cheap used cars” or “low-priced used cars.” If you sell new Fords you may choose “Ford trucks” or “Ford Mustang” or “Ford dealer”. The common element however is that you are fishing for prospects that are already searching for a product or group of products. A prospect who is in the market.

But what about that other prospect? The one that is not in the market? The one that may be motivated by the right message to enter the market, just for you, without comparing you to everyone else. Without any preformed notions about price and payment? Where is that client in the digital world?  That is the core difference between what you can do with social media marketing and what you can do with search engine marketing. With social media marketing, you can craft messages that pull prospects into the market who otherwise had no intention to buy.

Search engine marketing reaches prospects in the market but cannot pull prospects into the market the way social media marketing can. That is the key difference in the two marketing venues and a key consideration when allocating budget or creating a marketing plan. Search engine marketing can be very effective. If you do it right, the math can take over and you can have success. Predictable return on investment. But it has its limits.

Search engine marketing cannot pull prospects into the market the way social media marketing can.

Search engine marketing will not do two things. It will not support your brand, and it will not pull prospects into the market that are not currently in the market. If you want to do that in the digital world, social media is the place. It’s like television except when a prospect sees something that speaks to them, they can simply click on it. Man, if you could do that on TV you would never get through a show. Social media allows you to display messages and stories that prospects are forced to see or watch. If the ad really speaks to a particular prospect, they can convert instantly with a click but even if they don’t, they have still been exposed to your brand.

Now you have to decide which way to go. That’s a little more complicated. If you’re already spending on radio and TV, or other venues outside of digital that are effective for you, then search engine marketing can be a very effective addition to your overall marketing strategy. If you are looking for an alternative to those venues, or are looking to drive your brand awareness, or reach a larger market, then social media is a great way to do that.

The bottom line is this: the combination of search engine and social media marketing allows you to maintain your brand awareness and attract prospects with social media, while creating a very predictable marketing machine on the search engine side. The best of both worlds, the same two prospects as before. Only now, you can measure it all in detail and actually plan for success. Good luck and good selling.