I have been emphasizing the convergence of search and social media in my business to business marcom (btob, b2b) practice for a long time. I just received more affirmation from a person I highly respect, Erik Qualman.
In a very concise self-interview on searchenginewatch.com, Erik delivers several nuggets regarding his thoughts on social media. This one is germane to what I call searchal media:
Q (Erik): What is the "next big thing" in social media marketing?
A (Erik): The merging of search and social.
In my b2b marcom practice, it is very clear that my target audience needs information and answers immediately - as issues develop. They turn to search for the information.Additionally, the common and accepted social media tools are excellent at getting my information out onto the internet in a way that is easy for my target audience to find and retrieve.
Searchal media ... did I just coin a new term? Regardless, it's the practice (and results) that count.