SEO has been the ever evolving, yet primary focus of online marketing campaigns for many years. However, mobile marketing is giving it a run for its money. With over 70% of cell phone users turning to their smartphones to surf the web, a new type of marketing has been developed in emerging channels.
Statistics show that SEO only accounts for 13% of organic search results on mobile devices, illustrating that SEO does not play the same role in mobile marketing as it does from a desktop or laptop. As a result of these findings, many advertisers are turning to emerging channels to gain the coveted space they desire on mobile devices.
Social Networks And Mobile Marketing
Currently the most successful new channels for marketers are social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine, just to name a few. The combination of their built-in design for easy sharing, as well as being a primary source of information for mobile users make these platforms the ideal places to purchase ad space.
Mobile marketing is growing at a rate of 61% per year and it’s expected to be an $18 billion industry by 2015. Pair this with the massive growth that social media networks are experiencing from their native ad formats and it is clear that these emerging channels are the next big thing.
Even small businesses with lesser-known products are achieving extreme success by purchasing mobile native add space, or sharing captivating infographics that spread like wildfire within a matter of hours—or just a number of days. Some businesses who understand how to capture their audience’s attention via mobile marketing across new outlets can gain success with nominal marketing budgets, and without any effort other than social media marketing.
What This Means For SEO
The great success of emerging channels is not only creating more engaging marketing campaigns, but it’s also capturing marketing dollars that would traditionally be spent on SEO or SEM campaigns.
While it may not be the end of SEO as a whole, its role in online marketing is clearly being redefined. For business owners and advertisers who have not yet considered emerging channels, it is definitely time to take a good hard look at the advantages they afford when it comes to mobile marketing.
