Our digital environment is consistently changing. There are many opportunities to advertise from different platforms, and it’s only growing. At times, it can be hard to catch up, but remaining focused on core values will help keep you on the right path.
Embrace the Future
This focus, laid out by Visit Philly’s CMO Neil Frauenglass, was heavily emphasized during his segment on Leading with Purpose in a Rapidly Changing Environment.
It applies across all areas of Digital Activation, including Paid Search. With an ever-growing list of tactics available on every platform, most only deliver value when they serve a clear, intentional purpose. Paraphrasing Neil’s point, that purpose can be defined through three steps:
- Learn from the consumer
- Relate to the consumer
- Engage with the consumer
These steps should come before any discussion of digital tactics. Start by identifying the specific need that truly exists—not the one we wish existed. From there, choose the tactic that best aligns with that purpose.
One line from Neil’s talk stood out to me: “Purpose builds brands; value only builds bank accounts.”
There are plenty of valuable tactics available for Paid Search and beyond, but none of them will get you past the short-term without true insight into why these tactics should be chosen and how they will help reach your goals.
Friends Over Algorithms
It was fitting that Will Reynolds, VP of Innovation at Seer Interactive, followed Neil Frauenglass. During his segment, Will discussed his perspective on the changing Search environment. Specifically, he discussed how AI searches can be cleaner than traditional searches. With traditional Search comes a lot of friction, from disruptive pop ups or improper keyword matching. Although Paid Search is still reliable, it is not as reliable as it used to be. In fact, as Will argues, AI searches are as reliable, if not more reliable, without all the friction. You have a question, you ask it, you get the answer. Simple. You can fact check (as you should), but it’s right there for you.
So, should we stop investing in Paid Search? Absolutely not. We should remain active in Search—but smarter. Success now depends on evolving our approach and incorporating foundational marketing principles. Many Paid Search tactics can manipulate the algorithm in your favor, which is valuable—but meaningless if the content or audience strategy behind them lacks purpose. You can appear in front of users 100% of the time, but it means nothing if what they see doesn’t matter to them.
Will shared a few ways to combat this, including optimizing with your own data and improving the homepage experience—both smart and actionable. For Paid Search, though, I’d also emphasize the following:
- Understand your consumers’ needs at a digital level: consumers are here searching on the internet for a reason. They want information, and they want it quickly and cleanly. Find out what they need, how they need it, and the ways to give it to them cleanly.
- Show up in the right places: it’s very frustrating when a user searches for something specific, and a bunch of other results pop up. Focusing on the right keyword match types and doing extensive keyword research to improve targeting will help mitigate this issue. Utilizing audiences can also help connect your digital tactics to these real users with legitimate needs.
- Focus your content on the consumer, not the algorithm: make sure that the ads you’re serving meet users’ expectations. Make sure the landing page connected to the ad gives them what they need and gives it to them quickly.
Remain Focused
Overall, remain focused on what really matters. There are tons of important tools and strategies currently available, or that will be available in the future. These are beneficial, but they mean nothing without purpose behind their use. We can’t just simply be in the Search space; it’s not enough anymore. We need to mold our own corner in the digital landscape, and we do that by differentiating ourselves — understanding our consumers and focusing on being our consumers’ solution instead of just being in front of them to be seen.
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