We are currently updating our website. Removing some old work, adding some new stuff.
When we briefed the creatives, we asked ourselves a very simple question:
how often do companies, people or institutions update their website with current informations?
And when was the last time you did it? Been a while, right?
Okay, now think about search engines. Most of us use them daily, if not hourly.
We´ve inhaled the importance and relevance of search engines as our main information provider.
But that importance has rapidly vanished during the last five years. Especially when it comes to consumer engagement.
If people have something to say, show or communicate, they say it via Twitter, facebook, Pinterest, tumblr, Instagram.
And search engines are hardly indexing anything of what is said via the big social networks.
Don´t get us wrong – search engines are still extremely important as kind of a “business wikipedia”, providing us with relevant informations about companies and products.
But looking at the ever faster turning wheel of communication and being up-to-date in any respect, they are lagging as far behind as a snail trying to catch Usain Bolt.
And especially when it comes to interacting with your consumers and trying to make them become part of your brand,
recency is mandatory. How can a brand be ourageously in when the message it delivers or the topic it brings up is insanely out?
Today, I definitely use twitter and even Pinterest a lot when it comes to being in the loop on events, news and – first and foremost -
on what people are currently up to or moved by.
Or – in a nutshell: for rational information gathering, there´s search engines. For the latest emotionally involving news and topics, there´s social networks.
“Real time” searches may not carry as much commercial intent compared to search engines.
But we shouldn´t underestimate the additional value of an information that doesn´t only contain the information but also
the reaction to it. After all, communication is no one-way street. Even though many brands and companies still consider
the consumer a passive recipient of their marketing sermon. Of their OLD sermon, that is.
So don´t waive search engines when you have the time to look for some solid informations and data.
But if you and your brand are looking for the talk of global town, go social.
