If you’re working in search marketing, chances are you will have come across Bas van den Beld and his blog, State of Search (and if not, visit www.stateofsearch.com!). Bas is a regular speaker at the International Search Summit and ahead of the next event in London on 14th May, I asked him a few questions about, well, the State of Search.
Bas, you run State of Search, so how do you see the State of Search in 2012?
Ha :). The State of Search is pretty good I think. The industry as a whole is growing and there is a lot more realization that search is a very important part of the marketing mix. This however differs quite a bit in different countries so around the globe there is still some work to do.
What are the most important developments international search marketers should be thinking about?
I think personalization (which has been going on for a while) and the fact that marketing is becoming much more ‘social’ is very important. Marketers need to realize they can’t just ‘shout’ at people anymore, hoping they will respond. They really have to understand who they are talking to and have to make sure they not just optimize for their own sites and products but that people want to share and talk about you as well. That way you will become more visible, also in search. It is not just about optimizing your pages anymore, it is about optimizing your brand.
You’re speaking on The Global Collision of Social, Local and Mobile at ISS – what should delegates expect from your talk?
In my talks I always try to get people to think in a specific direction, sometimes one they are not used to. I do that with examples and some mind provoking things, combining offline and online. In this talk I will show how you can connect these three channels and really make good use of it.
Those are three huge areas – where should international marketers start when developing a Global SoLoMo strategy?
All of them of course! But the main thing will always be to think about the people you are targeting: what are they using most and where do they feel most comfortable. That will make choices much easier.
Finally, why attend the International Search Summit?
Well first of all because it is a great conference, one of those where you can get a huge amount of valuable information on a very specific topic. If you work internationally you just have to be here. Secondly it is organized by a very nice group of people who really know what they are doing.
Tickets are still available for the International Search Summit London on 14th May. Summit-only or SMX-ISS combo tickets are available. For a 15% discount, register using the code ISS012
Other speakers will include Nick Garner of Unibet, Pierre Far of Google, Andy Atkins-Krueger from WebCertain and Lisa Myers of Verve Search.
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Gemma Houghton
Director of Marketing at Webcertain
Gemma has worked in international search marketing for over 15 years and is Director of Marketing at Webcertain, overseeing all marketing activities for the Group. She also organises and programmes Webcertain’s International Search Summit and International Social Summit, Barcelona-based conferences focusing on international and multilingual digital marketing. Gemma holds a Professional Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Diploma in Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute, and a BA joint honours degree in French and German.
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