Last month’s flurry of deals between Twitter and some of the biggest names in search suggested that the microblogging site had graduated from ‘fad’ to ‘here to stay’. More importantly, they confirmed real-time search as one of the hottest online trends of the moment. For marketers in Asia, this trend should bring a new set of challenges.
Real-time, or live, search is when search terms produce results from recent discussion on social platforms, and not just produced by an engine’s internal algorithms, which rely on keywords that gain popularity over time.
Both Google and Microsoft’s Bing announced that they would adopt a Twitter function to reflect audiences’ growing interest and trust in social commentary. Microsoft was first to launch its Bing Twitter Search, which is now live in several Asian markets (see box).
Bing’s search director Mark Ma says that users are influenced by information on sites such as Twitter. “Social media has become one of the key sources of information for people - it provides a great way to understand what is happening in our world right now,” he says.
The implications for marketers are obvious. A search for a brand will bring not just the standard results, which can be influenced by different types of search marketing, but also the latest chatter on Twitter, good or bad.
That information will have extra resonance, given the trust users place in online word-of-mouth. A recent Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, which interviewed more than 25,000 people in 50 countries, found that recommendations by personal acquaintances and opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising.
Robbie Hills, Asia-Pacific CEO of GroupM Search, says that both Microsoft and Google’s adoption of real-time search tools signifies the shift of power from companies to people. “People absolutely trust social buzz - it is a true reflection of what consumers are saying about your brand or product,” Hills says. “The key is to ensure that you are at the very least listening to what people are saying. Then look to develop thought-out strategies on how to engage those who are taking the time to talk about your company, brands and products. This needs to happen whether it is a positive or negative discussion.”
Antony Yiu, regional search director for wwwins Consulting and iProspect Greater China, says the rise of real-time search will benefit users. He points out that, for many breaking news stories, it will be live feeds that will first give audiences answers, not news wires that need time to upload and circulate stories. There are also commercial implications, especially for retailers or simply anybody who has something to sell. Yiu says: “If you’re looking for a cheap concert ticket, finding a vendor via live search may be easier than hunting for a bargain on several websites.”
That will make balancing a Twitter strategy with a search strategy all the more important. Analysts are confident search engines will develop their own live-feed mechanism, as well as incorporating other forums and social networking sites to provide instant feeds.
According to Yiu, the main impact on marketers is that they will have to learn to react to negative news instantaneously. “You need to do more than just maintain your website. Before, if there was a negative comment made on a blog, you had time to respond to it and post messages on your site, but in real-time, you need to respond to it instantly. It’s not like you can post something on your feedback page; if anything negative breaks it’s not just going to Twitter users, but will expand to the whole internet population,” he says.
Analysts note that another drawback for brands is that rival companies could spread negative rumours anonymously using Twitter. Search engines won’t be able to filter falsehoods from fact.
And with more emphasis on search, search engine marketing may become more expensive. “I can see marketers freaking out and throwing a lot of money into search, doing whatever they can to stop people from talking about their company,” Yiu says. “Something similar happened last year in China during the tainted milk scandal. It can happen with this, too.”
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This article was originally published in 19 November 2009 issue of Media.
