I recently joined Anvil Media as an intern from Portland Ad Fed’s (PAF)  COLABORATORY program.  Unfortunately, I’ll only be with the people at Anvil for two weeks, but that’s enough time to leave a mark on their blog.

When I was first asked to write for this site, I quickly glanced through the content and found myself asking the question:  “What does Social Search Marketer mean?”  – Initially, it seems that this title is combining a few different elements of marketing into one.  Namely, Social [Media] Marketing and Search [Engine] Marketing.

After briefly discussing this title with a few Anvil folks, I headed out into the blogsphere.  I discovered several authors discussing the possibility of Search Marketing coming to an abrupt halt as social media continues to grow into the unstoppable beast it has become.  Although I find many bloggers’ opinions to be extreme, I believe there is merit in the idea that Search Marketing could see a large downturn.  During my internship at the PAF, I’ve learned how to use social media monitoring/search tools like Radian6 and SM2.  I came into this internship with a limited perspective on Social Media Marketing, and through use of these tools and an expanded understanding of digital marketing, I can realize the possibility of a plummet in Search Engine Marketing.

Before coming to Anvil, I knew that the company had some involvement with social media, but I really didn’t understand how it was relevant to a firm that specializes in search marketing.  When inquiring about this, I was told that the company’s percentage of revenue from social media has dramatically increased in the past year.  The reason for this could be related to the extreme buzz around companies thinking they need social media, or perhaps it is a sign that Search Engine Marketing IS on the downhill.

So how do social media services play into search marketing?  A large amount of people are turning to social networks to gather information.  This means people are searching less on Google, and reading more on Twitter or Facebook.  Will social sites completely eradicate Google Search?  No way.  But there is an overlying theme that Search Marketing firms need to realize- the way in which information is sent and received is constantly evolving.

Social Search Marketer.  It makes sense, and it’s actually really smart.  The term can be juxtaposed four ways:

• Social Search – Monitoring/searching social content that’s relevant
• Social Marketer – Engaging those users who want to talk about your product
• Search Marketer – PPC, Organic Search, etc.
• Social Search Marketer – A holistic approach to online marketing that adapts to the constantly-evolving way people send and receive information

That’s just the ranting of an over analytical, under-experienced intern though.   What do I know? 🙂