Gather round and watch the smackdown as these two titans of digital marketing wrestle for 2012 marketing budget. Explore who wins when Social Media battles Search Engine Marketing - a video infographic by MDG Advertising. Social media and search marketing are becoming more and more integrated as digital marketers realize their collective power for generating leads, building brand awareness, increasing local visibility, and maximizing interactivity. While they continue to prove their value as a potent pair, social and search each have their unique attributes and one often outshines the other in regard to specific online pursuits. To show how social media and search marketing match up to each other, as well as together, for achieving a variety of online advertising objectives, MDG Advertising developed this insightful video infographic.

Since lead generation is always a top priority for brands, digital marketers are constantly trying and testing different online strategies to achieve optimal results. Both B2B and B2C marketers agree that search marketing is more effective and efficient for generating leads than social media. So when it comes to leads, search clearly takes the lead.

Yet increasing brand awareness is an entirely different situation. While search is ideal for driving Web traffic and generating leads, social media can be a powerhouse when it comes to building brand awareness and maximizing brand exposure. In fact, these brand benefits are often cited as the main advantages of using social media in online advertising. For boosting brand awareness, social media takes the top spot.

With the issue of visibility for local businesses, the preference for search over social is surprisingly strong. Research shows that a whopping one-third of consumers depend on search engines to locate local businesses, while barely 3 percent rely on social media sites. Clearly, search marketing is the far-and-away choice when looking local.

Lastly, the goal of interactivity can be achieved by both social media and search marketing, yet more online marketers use social media as an interactive marketing tool. Social media offers limitless opportunities for communicating and connecting, which search simply cannot provide to the same extent.

Fortunately, marketers don't have to choose only search or social to achieve their online objectives. Using these tools in tandem can often deliver the best results and a better return. With new search algorithms factoring social media into search rankings, and social networks introducing search features of their own, marketers must embrace this new mutual marketing phenomenon. Search and social no longer stand alone. By using these tools together, marketers can develop stronger online advertising strategies that can make their companies stand apart.

Randi Kotok
561-338-7797
MDG Advertising