‘I still haven’t found what i’m looking for’: How consumers are embracing social search

By Mark Byrne, Director of Paid Media. Originally published on Performance Marketing World.

Traditional search engines still have their place in the customer journey, social search is just another avenue for brands.

Back in 1987, Bono famously belted out that he still hadn’t found what he was looking for. Perhaps all he needed to do was to wait 37 years and take his search to a social platform to find the answer.

Consumers are facing a similar dilemma to the artist formerly known as Paul Hewson. They are not finding answers they seek on traditional search, instead turning to social. A quarter of 18 to 54-year-olds now prefer to search on social media, a clear shift in user preference from traditional search engines to social media platforms for a sizeable audience. According to Google’s Senior VP, almost 40% of 18-24-year-olds, when looking for a place for lunch, turned to social as opposed to Google Maps or Search.

That being said, it’s important not to panic here, consumers still consider search engines as the most effective way to find answers to their questions. The benefits of social search are that consumers can quickly find authentic reviews from people similar to them, tap into immersive audio-visual experiences, and get an insight into brand personality. Unlike with traditional search engines where intent is often clear-cut (think: ‘New Balance marathon running shoes size 10’), social searches are far more nuanced (e.g. ‘training for my first marathon). They exist in a different level of intent that is more to do with discovery.

Take Pinterest for example, on the platform only 3% of searches include brand terms. Consumers are seeking inspiration rather than seeking out preferred brands. With these searches being a higher funnel, it is important to make an emotional connection with the consumer as opposed to leading with product-led creative at this stage. Consumers might ask open-ended questions or express aspirations while engaging in social search, making storytelling key. Gone are the days of simply sending consumers straight from a Google search to a product page. Brands need to have content available to address these questions on social. In the past, this is something a brand’s website would have done the heavy lifting on with consumers being sent straight to the site from Google.

Despite the rise of TikTok, social search isn’t as recent a trend as it may seem. For many years Google has boasted of the world’s second largest platform after Google being YouTube, with consumers leveraging it as a source of education and inspiration. It is TikTok’s popularity that has accelerated the conversation around social search in recent months, as it becomes more visible – particularly among younger consumers.

This shift in consumer search behaviour is reflected in global adspend, with research noting that by Q4 2024 social spend will overtake search spend for the first time. Recognising this trend, we’re seeing Google respond with a recent announcement around efforts to focus on more personalised and visual search results, including virtual try on and style picker functionality. One of its updates being Google Perspectives, which reflects Google’s efforts to align its product offering to consumer behaviour.

Essentially, Google Search is updating its algorithm to prioritise content written by people with experience and expertise, in the form of Google Perspectives. This update is designed to surface more helpful and informative content, specifically content that comes from a personal or expert point of view. Google will achieve this by understanding the content better and ranking it accordingly. Historically, Google Search has prioritised content optimised for clicks over content written by people with experience, marking a shift for the company.

Consumers are spending more time online, researching across more platforms and comparing more brands than ever before – one of the tools in their arsenal to do this is social search. As a result, brands must build a comprehensive online presence that caters to different search behaviours. An essential part of this is to develop creative content that connects with consumers and speaks to the questions they have about their products. Like most things related to marketing, the sky isn’t falling so it’s important for brands not to panic. Traditional search engines still have their place in the customer journey, with social search being another avenue to help brands to meet consumers when they need answers.