Search is most effective when you combine it with other forms of advertising like Radio, TV, and Print–just like the Yellow Pages use to be. And it’s worth noting that newspapers’ demise is due to the fact that 50% of their traditional advertising revenue was generated from classified advertising and their heavy expense structure. Then came CareerBuilder, Monster.com, Realtor.com, craigslist.com…need I say more?
Of course there will be other viable methods to target people online, like social networks (Facebook), some good ad networks, relevant content-driven websites, and the like, but they still have a long way to go before they make a dent in the $100’s of billions that are spent on Radio, TV, and yes, still Print.
For the foreseeable future, advertising professionals better embrace a multi-channel approach to reaching audience and should still heavily consider traditional forms of media as viable options.