Blended Search Demands Blended Marketing and PR

Blended Search Demands Blended Marketing and PR
Google Universal offer opportunities for news and PR content to be found in search

At the session on Universal and blended search at SES San Jose we heard from all the search engines.  Johanna Wright of Google, Cris Pierry of Yahoo! Erik collier of Ask and Todd Schwartz of LIve search all gave their insights and predictions about how search is displayed and how searchers view a results page.

Until 15 months ago a search results page was just 10 blue liks to what that search engine considered the top ten most relevant websites for your query. If you wanted to see images, videos, news, products or blog posts you had to click into the vertical buckets for those categories.

In May 2007 Google decided that they should offer you the top results from ALL content in their index and not make you have to go searching in vertical buckets.  They launched Universal search and now when you pop a query into Google you can see images, news and video sprinkled in with the website links. 

Why is this a PR opportunity?  A search engine will only give you two links for your website on a search results page, But now you can get news content, images and videos on that page as well.  Even if our website does not rank on page one, a press release can. And since it has been shown that search visbility lifts brand recall and influences perceptions, how you show up in search has become an important PR function.

Owning the first page of Google for your company name, brand, product names and the best generic category descriptions should be on every PR plan today.  It's part of online reputation management.  And Universal search makes it possible.

Of course you have to have the digital assets in the search engines, and they have to be correctly optimized for search.

 Add an image to every press release.  Make the release timely and newsworthy.  Optimize the press release for search.  Add audio and video to your news content.  Host it all in a social media newsroom and upload your assets to other content sharing sites.

Making the most of blended search means you need to break down the silos in the organization and collaborate with the marketing, search and advertising people in your company.  Social media is all about sharing and colloboration - and you'll win if you start appying that principle within the company.  It's  time for a truly integrated marketing and PR approach.

Moms of different ages use the Net differently
Gen X and Gen Y focus on different activities online

Image: Striatic

Gen X is the generation born between 1965 and 1980 (depending on your source)

Generation Y moms were born between1982 (Millenials) and 1994.

Both Generation X and Generation Y moms view the internet as a must-have tool for finding child-rearing information, but there is a marked difference in their online behaviors and preferences, says a study from The Parenting Group and NewMediaMetrics

Gen Y moms prefer:

• media that connects them to other moms online - such as internet communities, blogs and video-sharing sites - suggesting they prefer to rely on peers rather than experts to help them parent., according to the study.
• creating their own content
• time-shifting behaviors, such as watching TV online.

The top three activities of Gen Y moms:

• reading blogs
• participating in an online community of moms
• creating and sharing their own videos.

Gen X moms are less attached to digital media as a whole. They are more likely to engage in task-oriented activities such as shopping online and uploading photos.

The top three online activities of Gen X moms are:

• using a photo site
• rating and reviewing products
• shopping

The Parenting Group.suggests that these insights can help marketers targeting the next new generation of moms online.

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"If PR is to properly address the challenges and opportunities that new media offers, the industry must invest in relevant services and training at all levels. Those failing to do so run the long-term risk of losing out in the inevitable battle for the online communications market."  Adam Parker, Chief Executive of online news distribution company webitpr.

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