Title: Search engine marketing and customer relationship management within a social media environment

Authors: Alan D. Smith

Addresses: Department of Management and Marketing, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3099, USA

Abstract: Search engine technologies with a social media context has allowed for the development of a modern, consumer-driven internet experience that has been powered by customers' imagination and is designed to at least partially satisfy users' need for self-directed engagement. The present research effort has illustrated that some components are further behind than potentially expected. This study examined millennials versus older generations as well as gender and various search engine and social metrics in order to access their effectiveness of the various media that encompass integrated technology. Millennials may slightly be prone to take advantage of such technologies, but their search and use patterns are not much varied from their older professional counterparts. Businesses are well advised to provide a mindful, less controlled, more interactive presence of potential users, especially through an increasingly mobile presence.

Keywords: consumer behaviour; customer relationship management; CRM; pay-per-click; PPC; search engine marketing; search engine optimisation; SEO; social media; age; gender.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2016.076246

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2016 Vol.22 No.2, pp.181 - 210

Received: 11 Dec 2014
Accepted: 04 Jan 2015

Published online: 30 Apr 2016 *

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