iON has been involved in Online Marketing for the past 12 years.  We started out as an email marketing company and grew to become a multi-channel digital consultancy.  The company has changed as the industry has changed.  But there is evidence that the biggest change of all is happening.  The industry is changing its name!

If the use of Search Engines is a vital channel for your business it’s important that you use the language of the searcher rather than the language of your industry.  For example, an airline creating a Search Engine Optimization strategy around the term low fares because the airline industry calls itself low fares, is massively misaligned from the actual search term being used – cheap flights.  Without correction the SEO plan would fail to align itself with the customer.

The trend for many years has been to refer to Online Marketing as just that, online marketing.  However Google Insights would show that the trend is changing.  It’s soon to be a dead-heat between Digital Marketing and Online Marketing with every indicator that Digital Marketing will prevail.

This could be a case of where a change in language could change brand straplines, the title for awards ceremonies, print publications and SEO strategies.  It matters that the use of language changes over time and businesses change as the customer’s use of language change; unless you’re super cool and wish to appear retro!