Exceptional methods deliver exceptional results: this is the truth of marketing. Standard fare no longer courts consumers. Instead search engines are needed to generate traffic and sales. 

The proof is in the statistics.

According to Experian Marketing Services, search engines dominated the final quarter of 2012, claiming 49% of consumer shopping. This is a staggering number, especially when compared to the 16% of users who relied on classified sites and the 12% who utilized email services to find products. Other options, such as portal pages and directories, carved out even smaller niches (at 4% and 3%, respectively).

Too often do companies ignore the potential of search engines. Social media--networking, video posting, blogging and more--tends to capture their attention and rightly so. This method helps to develop brands, inspires trust and opens the lines of communication between businesses and consumers. It’s undeniably useful. Trying to channel consumer shopping through it, therefore, seems logical. 

Experian Marketing Services, however, offers a different view: less than ten percent of overall sales traffic is generated from social media. In 2012, Facebook offered 3.8%; Amazon managed 1.5%; YouTube struggled to rise above 1%.

And companies that relied purely of social networking saw their traffic tumble and their profits stagnate. 

It becomes imperative, therefore, to create a strong search engine presence. While social media should be employed, sites like Google, Bing and others are essential. One Big Broadcast helps to take advantage of these engines, utilizing a cloud-powered platform that highlights every post and attracts consumers. This provides stronger sales and long-lasting results.

The need to dominate search engines is understood. Companies can no longer rely on basic branding. Instead they must seek consumers online.

Many businesses are doing this. They’re simply not doing it correctly. Social marketing is being improperly utilized throughout the Web, with its methods and goals unaligned. 

Analytics can change this.

Analytics--the process of measuring information, such as site performance and individual post traffic--is a not a new concept. It’s simply a concept that’s often overlooked, with real-time reporting underdeveloped within companies. Social campaigns are often separated from the brands they represent, with a lack of communication and data analysis making them ineffective. According to Matt Lawson, VP of Marketing at Marin Software: “I can't tell you how many companies have their search marketing team in a little separate silo.”

It’s this thought that led Marin Software, with support from Forrester Research, to conduct a study of search engine marketing and how it’s being used. Within this study, it was discovered that 83% of participants believed their online efforts directly effected their overall revenue outcomes.

This is an easy number to accept. What follows, however, is less encouraging: because 65% of those same participants admitted to a lack of metrics and ad goals, focusing instead on simply driving in traffic. There was no analysis or strategy reported. There was just a series of poorly executed social campaigns.

This is a waste of the estimated $33 billion that will be devoted to search engine marketing and social networking within the next few years. Companies are not examining their performances or their consumers. They are merely generating empty traffic, and this leads to a lack of sales and weakened brands.

One Big Broadcast helps to rectify this. Our platform embraces the analytics process, allowing businesses to understand what their services truly mean. We evaluate sites, posts and social campaigns, offering real-time results and helping to further the media experience.