What the Twitter-Google Partnership Means for Brands

Five Tips for Marketers to Integrate Search and Social

By Benjamin Spiegel. Published on February 18, 2015. 0 Reprints Reprints


Recently, Google and Twitter confirmed their plans to once again integrate tweets in Google search pages as real-time results. This is a great win-win for both parties. Google gets a great new feature -- real-time content -- while Twitter will most likely receive a massive uptick in activity and traffic.
As exciting as this is for the platforms, there are several things brands need to keep in mind in this new, integrated search and social world. Here are five tips:
1. Search and intent-based optimization is crucial
The fact that Google is now indexing tweets does not mean that all of your tweets will be shown in search results. Google is still heavily reliant on content, and if your tweet does not contain the correctly optimized content, it will not be seen. In order to be visible in search results, brands need to make sure that their search and social teams are closely integrated and that they optimize tweets and social messages to contain high-value (search volume) key phrases. For example, if your tweet says "Use Product A for that natural glow," it will not show for searches around "skin care" or "lotion."
2. Treat tweets like ads or landing pages
Historically, Twitter has not been known as an organic reach medium; it has been seen much more as an app-centric and mobile-first conversation and messaging platform. But with the integration into Google results, Twitter is about to see a massive increase in organic reach. In order to leverage this new reach, brands need to treat tweets like ads or landing pages. Have a meaningful call to action in your tweets or have a link to the brand site with more information. A simple message is not going to get your user to take action.
3. Monitor conversations and react
With the integration of real time into the search results, the results pages will become truly dynamic. Brands need to ensure that they understand what might surface and become part of the conversations. If a consumer leaves a negative statement about your brand or product, be proactive; engage and explain or offer remediation. That way, when other users come across a negative statement of your product, they will also see that you engage and that the brand cares and tries to solve the problem. Some brands have had a stance of staying out of conversations that might impact them in a negative way. Now, these conversations can show up at the top of Google. Brands need to be aware of this and participate appropriately.


4. Words last forever
It used to be that what was said on Twitter stayed on Twitter -- and given enough time, it would move further down the timeline so it would never be seen again. In a Google+Twitter world, this will be different; tweets could keep showing up at the top of Google. So make sure that what you say is appropriate to be read long after it was timely.
5. Anticipate the search impact
Whenever there is new content inside the search results page, there is an impact on your overall search traffic. Just as having a paid listing affects your organic traffic, having tweets in the search results will impact both your paid and organic traffic. Therefore, make sure you monitor what is showing for your key terms and adjust your bidding accordingly.
Due to the symbiotic relationship between search and social, agencies have been advocating for integrated executions for years. Now consumers are seeing search and social as an integrated experience and the platforms are moving in that direction; therefore, it is crucial for brands to have integrated strategies, executions and delivery in order to win with today's digital consumers.