Cross-Channel Marketing is the future.

And consumer intent is the key to consistent, relevant cross-channel marketing.

Interactive marketing is undergoing drastic changes. Where a consumer once interacted with the Internet via a single device—usually a desktop computer—he or she may now use a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop, gaming console, and interactive TV. Tracking via a cookie on the home computer simply doesn’t give a comprehensive picture of what consumers are doing and what they want to do. Today, consumers interact with companies across multiple devices and channels. Marketers must supply consistent and relevant messages across all channels to gain their attention—and their dollars.

Companies that don’t efficiently market across channels will have a hard time outpacing the competition. One percent click-through rates and 2% conversion rates won’t cut it if you have to increase search campaign acquisitions by 25% per year. Search marketing, display marketing, and websites have only so much potential. You need to start marketing across channels now, or your competitors will leave you in the dust.

How to meet this challenge? The key is consumer intent. You need to understand what people want, when they actually want it, across all marketing channels. Intent isn’t channel specific—it’s consumer-centric. And if you can learn to listen to what consumers are telling you—if you can understand their intent—then you can engage them across all channels with experiences that are relevant, persuasive, and effective.

To really understand consumer intent, start with search marketing. Consumers provide rich intent signals when they enter search queries. Mine search data to understand this intent, and you can power relevant advertising across all channels. For instance, you might combine intents with audience characteristics and/or social interests to target highly relevant ads in social networks. Know what consumers want, and when they want it, regardless of the channel—and the possibilities are endless.