Contextual Search Engine Marketing

Internet users today are publishing an online guide to their consumer and personal preferences— and they’re doing it voluntarily. Services like Flickr (a photo sharing website) allow guests to give contextual meaning to their pictures by tagging them with user-created keywords. These tags, like "iPod" for example, are then used not only to categorize the specific consumer’s photos, but also to add value to the broader community’s photos that have been tagged by other users in the same way. As more and more sites create tagging "folksonomies," the opportunity grows for marketing experts to more accurately target consumers.

Search engines are starting to take advantage of the tagging trend. Ask Jeeves offers tagging and Amazon has bought into 43 Things, a site that allows people to build tag-based wish lists. Sites that wish to stay competitive will have to roll out tag-like structures that will allow users to easily locate relevant content. For example, a current search on Google for "new car" can yield a results list that includes new car buyers, sellers, insurance, dealerships, anyone that uses/buys the keywords "new car." Whereas, with tagging, you can find out what people searching for a new car are finding and sharing about their search. You can then tailor your new car sales site to attract qualified prospects.

Because tagging is consumer dictated, the opportunity to tap into the mind of your target market is unlimited. Connections can be made between products and services that may have never occurred to you without the insights from those who are buying your product. And although tags are far from perfect (they create some false positives), they allow you to find your consumers and help lead your consumers to you — creating increased traffic to your site and for your products.

© Nicole Keene 2005