Should You Focus on Mobile, Social or Search?

Between the industry shift to mobile-first Web design, the pressure for brands to engage users on every social network and the dominance of search rankings, it can be difficult at times to prioritize your clients’ digital dollars. We asked young entrepreneurs, “Which of these tactics is most important to the success of your company: mobile, social or search, and why?”

Incorporate Mobile, Social and Search

“Mobile, social and search are becoming so intertwined that it's hard to separate them. Social signals are now affecting SEO. Multi-device usage is on the rise, and people use search to switch between their devices. Mobile is predicted to overtake desktop Internet usage by 2015 in the U.S., and that will affect both social and search marketing strategies. You can't ignore any one of the three.”

— Phil Frost | Main Street ROI

Analyze the User's Intent

“For us, search is the most important marketing source. Whether organic or paid, search traffic already highlights users' intent. They are actively searching for something we are offering. These types of targeted visitors are vital to our time optimization processes. Social is best carried out for relationship management. Mobile is a necessity, but it's not a strategy for our business.”

— Logan Lenz | Endagon

Focus on Word-of-Mouth

“The most important way for an early-stage startup to grow is through word-of-mouth marketing. Focus early efforts on social. You'll get the benefit of interacting with customers and hearing how you can improve. More importantly, by building your social channels, you'll enable your fans to share your story for you.”

— Aaron Schwartz | Modify Watches

Use Organic and Paid Searches

“We've tried it all, but the best conversion tactic is search, both organic and paid. Users who are typing our specific industry-related terms into Google are the most highly targeted customers. This tactic far exceeds the ROI on mobile or social.”

— Anthony Saladino | Kitchen Cabinet Kings

Focus on Search

“Search is paramount. It capitalizes on direct advertising and most closely connects consumers’ intent to buy with actual transactions. However, a significant part of search has shifted to mobile devices. In that respect, mobile plays a key role in effective marketing and the success of a company.”

— Ben Rubenstein | Yodle

Begin With Search

“We connect customers to available local pros by phone. Since 85 percent of consumers search for local pros online, search is the most important tool for helping consumers find us before they waste 30 minutes visiting websites and calling several dead-end options. Once they find and use our services, we make it easy for customers to connect, share and follow updates like our upcoming mobile launch.”

— Manpreet Singh | Seva Call

Focus on Search and Intent

“Search is all about intent. When people want something, they search for it. If you are trying to sell through social or mobile, you are targeting people who may not necessarily want your product immediately. Of course, you can gain demographic information like data from IP addresses, location-based tracking and cookies, but search is still king.”

— Matt Wilson | Under30Media

Rely on Social

“For me, it is definitely social. My business is based around Facebook marketing, so everything I do publicly takes place in a social space. All of my posts get shared, passed around and commented on through several social actions. If social wasn’t a big part of my business, I would be in pretty big trouble. That would make me a social marketer who wasn’t succeeding at social marketing.”

— Brian Moran | Get 10,000 Fans

Start With Strategy

“Tactics are awesome, but I'm a fan of starting with your business strategy before heading for the tactics. Mobile, social and search are all ways to increase your exposure, but you need to know why and how you want to reach people before you head into these specifics. Look at your company's strengths and long-term goals before settling on one of these.”

— Nathalie Lussier | The Website Checkup Tool