Social media giant Twitter and search engine Microsoft recently announced the extension of their cooperative agreement. The organizations have worked together for last two years, including Twitter posts in search results on Bing, and their renewed alliance is one of many signs that marketers can’t ignore the intermingling of search and social channels.
The partnership began in 2009 and provided substantial incentive for both organizations. For Twitter, the move boosted visibility and garnered a reported $30 million per year from Microsoft. Meanwhile, Microsoft received a strong partner in its ongoing battle with Google for supremacy in search.
Twitter had been working with both Google and Microsoft, but Google allowed its contract with the microblogging site to expire in July. This meant it forfeited its access to an exclusive news feed that it used to power Google Realtime search with Twitter updates.
While Twitter marketing will likely impact Bing search marketing in light of the companies’ extended relationship, brands hoping to boost their Google rankings should focus on the search giant’s own social network – Google+. As Brafton recently reported, Google has confirmed that it is examining ways to turn +1 button data into a ranking signal.
