The world of marketing never stops progressing or breaking barriers to new business development. Unlike its historically gradual transformation, today’s marketing evolution has been thrust into warp speed, and there’s no turning back. 

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI into digital marketing and communications is a powerful force in driving change. Constantly shifting consumer buying behaviors are another. And the number and value of online resources to search for brand and product information are expanding.  

These and other dynamics have upended old advertising and marketing strategies. They are transforming the ways and places consumers and purchasing professionals look for information, options, and reviews to make the most informed buying decisions.  

Buying behaviors aren’t the only factors that are shifting and evolving  

Search engines and social media platforms have blossomed into an array of lively, interactive marketplaces for today’s brands, marketers, and buyers.  

The venues give way to robust, revenue-generating communications between sellers and buyers, and between savvy buyers themselves in sharing experiences and satisfaction with a brand or product (word-of-mouth referrals remain powerful). Influencer marketing has also emerged as a formidable strategic partnership between brands and online influencers that drives sales.  

Today’s successful marketers meet buyers where they are   

In today’s overcrowded marketplaces (not to mention email inboxes), it’s difficult for brands to draw customers and prospects straight to their proprietary websites and social media pages, whether through traditional advertising, email marketing, or other marketing outreaches.  

Search platforms and social media change all that by being the intermediary.  

You’ll often hear that if something you need won’t come to you, then you must go after it instead. Search engines and social platforms are your digital mode of transport! They allow you to meet buyers where they are, strike more relationships, draw buyers closer, and convert prospects into customers.  

Intermediary market share is shifting, too 

Not surprisingly, search and social media platforms are becoming more competitive by the day. Take, for example, a recent poll we conducted among our audience on LinkedIn. We asked what platform they’re currently using for online searches, and interestingly, the results show the tides are shifting a bit.  

Google still holds a dominant lead, but ChatGPT is capturing market share… 

The newly introduced ChatGPT Search is indeed becoming a real competitor to Google Search with its ability to search the web and deliver fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources.  

And increasingly, younger audiences are looking to video platforms for their searches, rather than using traditional Google searches.  

“Gen X and millennials might have made ‘google’ a verb, but Instagram and TikTok are now the preferred search engines for Gen Z when seeking local results. According to a new study of 1,002 U.S. consumers, Google is now in third place for 18- to 24-year-olds.” 

— John Koetsier, Forbes senior contributor, journalist, and analyst

The caliber of marketing talent you need for today’s evolving landscape  

For some marketing professionals, it can be challenging to keep up with the whirlwind of advancements permeating the field of marketing and communications. For others, the new landscape is a thrilling and profitable playground, offering the best marketing jobs.  

Today, the best marketing talent embodies the skill sets, adaptability, and problem-solving prowess needed to marshal rapid changes in technology, consumer behavior, and market dynamics.  

Standout professionals include experienced marketing directors and marketing managers, data-driven strategists, digital automation and search engine optimization (SEO) specialists, masters of current search platforms and social channels, social media experts, content creators, storytellers, graphic designers, copywriters, and customer-centric visionaries who excel in digital marketing and content marketing.  

Your marketing strategy must also change and evolve 

Marketing teams need a fluid mindset that is grounded in a well thought out strategy that aligns with your organization’s vision, mission, and goals. With marketing dynamics changing and evolving so quickly, your marketing strategy needs to be just as agile.  

As you form a more strategic approach to marketing and consider potential candidates to strengthen your team, there are some effective initiatives you can implement in short order in your marketing strategy:  

• Consider advertising through social media influencers who have smaller, niche followings that match your organization’s target audiences.  

• Create a presence on social media platforms whose target audiences align with yours. 

• Concentrate your focus and efforts on social media platforms that deliver the highest levels of engagement.  

• Run, don’t walk, into the power of video content: Short-form videos (60 seconds or less) that are educational and fun drive engagement and create emotional connections with audiences.   

Partner with a recruiting firm to source dynamic marketing talent for your team  

To keep your organization on par with or ahead of the marketing curve, you need talented professionals who are up to speed with the latest marketing technologies and trends.   

Find and hire the best marketing talent through Goodwin Recruiting. Our award-winning marketing recruiters are more than talent acquisition and staffing specialists. They’re your strategic partners in onboarding high-performing marketing team members who align with your company culture and fit seamlessly into your marketing organization. 

Here are some of the many marketing roles we fill with top talent: 

• Chief Marketing Officers (CMO)
• Chief Revenue Officers
• Marketing Vice Presidents
• Marketing Directors
• Marketing Managers
• Digital Marketing Managers
• Social Media Managers
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Specialists
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists 
• Marketing Analysts
• Brand Managers
• Marketing Specialists