Integrated Search Marketing (ISM) starts with how and where people search for what they need or want. At its birth, Integrated Search Marketing was focused on connecting marketing efforts in relation to search engines.

And while some of those basic concepts still remain, ISM has evolved beyond those early days.

“Search” as a marketing concept has expanded beyond just search engines. Yes, many if not most online marketers still see Search as a search engine-specific concept. That approach will hold them back and limit the scope of what they can achieve.

Search volume and specificity has increased to the point where it is substantial on a variety of non-search engine platforms. This, not surprisingly, parallels the rise in dominance of mobile devices over desktop computers.

A smaller format, a desire for instant gratification, and the ability to search for anything anywhere – no matter where you are – literally forces us to update what “Search” has been in the past to what it is now.

The increasing robustness of search on any platform at any established venue has changed how and why people search specifically on search engines.

We’re not claiming the search engines will go away any time soon, but we are saying that a certain the focus will more is shifting from searching on search engines for everything to searching on specific niche-targeted venues.

We also expect that the search engines will continue to integrate their search capabilities into social and other venues where more and more of that “new search mindset” is being applied.

So getting back to the Integrated Search Marketing concept, search (broadly and more accurately defined) takes place on social media, videos, blog posts, search engines – even at offline venues, events. Even billboards and tv ads have QR codes to scan.

And results of scanning those codes do not take you to a search engine.

Once the person doing the searching lands on a business website, their search is dramatically narrowed, at least temporarily. From your website a searcher can then proceed to their social venues you happen to share.

At this point you have a temporary “closed loop” until the searcher converts goes back to an earlier search point. Here your retargeting kicks in – or better yet, your Integrated Search Marketing continues.

The goal and resulting effect of this approach is Step 1:  to identify customers before they start shopping so you get to those customers before your competition. That part happens automatically, but it also connects to Step 2:  what could be called a creation of customers that are inclined to choose you over your competitors when they are ready to buy.

The ISM concept opens up the opportunity to establish your brand’s recognition, positioning and ideal solution sooner rather than later. Segmentation moves prospects into the appropriate market messaging. Escalating awareness and desire with repetition moves them to the sale more quickly and effectively.

This can also compress buying cycles after getting the pieces of this system in place with momentum – meaning you start making more sales sooner than later. It’s an approach that clearly puts you in a better position to capture more customers, sales and referrals than your competitors.

What does having more market share with an increased predictability in your sales results mean to your company?

Getting in front of your prospects before they’ve seriously considered doing business with any solution is an extreme advantage for your business.

Integrated Search Marketing is a foundational, all-encompassing marketing strategy long before being a tactical implementation of specific actions. The basic strategy of ISM is simply,

• to be where people are directly or indirectly looking for what you provide
• be related to what you offer with a message or statement
• have that message compel them to pay attention to you while increasing their interest
• and eventually make contact with your brand and offerings because they like, know and trust you.

While this is not a new idea or new goal by any means, the possibility of doing this more effectively, much sooner and with less competition makes it a game-changer in the results it generates.

As opposed to “spray and pray marketing” where one message goes out in all directions, or targeting a niche where the majority is nowhere near ready to buy, ISM has individualized messaging that connects on a per prospect level.

How wide you want to go is up to you. Just know that going as wide as possible is not necessarily the best choice. There are efficiencies of scale at work here.

Going deeper this strategy focus forks into two targeted segments:

1. Current Prospects – those who are currently shopping or ready to finalize a purchase in the relatively near future (you get to define how near that future is to you – we can help).
2. Future Prospects – those who are not currently shopping for what you offer, but per their personas, demographic profiles and responses to your ISM program, will likely be within a time frame that is acceptable to your marketing and customer acquisition goals (you again define your goals and limitations – we help here, too).

Too many businesses still focus almost specifically on targeting potential Current Prospects – the well-known, always delicious and ever-so-juicy “low-hanging fruit”. In this harvest businesses end up tripping over each other for the limited number of ready-to-buy prospects.

Smart marketers realize that getting in front of prospects sooner rather than later helps to line up sales more predictably while building trust, confidence and preference in their brand.

And while it can be a challenge to consider grooming prospects early, it can’t be ignored because there are always more opportunities in your Future Prospects than you Current Prospects. In fact, the future survival and growth of your business is in those customers that aren’t even shopping for what you’re selling right now.

This is especially valuable when you consider the value of you being able to introduce and acclimate customers to your brand long before they are in need of you. It pre-sells them in your favor.

Compared to Integrated Search Marketing, common branding activities are EXTREMELY passive and do little if anything to directly drive sales for most of the businesses that use it.

Pre-selling has been around for a long time – maybe centuries, but few businesses apply it because it takes a more dedicated commitment to their customer acquisition efforts.

You might assume it costs a lot more, but it can actually cost less because you are literally feeding new customers into your business – not waiting for them to show up on your radar after you spend money luring them or hunting them down as the same Current Prospects everyone else in your industry targets at the same time you do.

With Integrated Search Marketing, you’re not waiting for customers to raise their hand. With ISM, you’ve been holding their hand before they realized they needed you. You’re now leading them to their best solution and result.

The tactical implementation of this strategy is in how you impact prospects wherever they are looking AND where they are not necessarily expecting to see your brand.

There is measurable value in being able to groom customers to your brand long before they are in need of you.

Common branding activities are EXTREMELY passive. Integrated Search Marketing believes effective branding should be a natural by-product of more effective marketing – not something you pay extra for or do separately.

Remember – this strategy segments two types of prospects. The marketing content you create (or that we create for you) attracts prospects from both segments at the same time. That way you’re not waiting for results any longer than you do from your current sales cycle.

In fact, Integrated Search Marketing can literally pull in more customers faster than most anything you are doing right now.

Let’s have a 15-20 minute conversation to discuss your options and where you might consider starting.