In 2004, Google has debuted the Google Ads linking ads with search queries. In 2010 you can target ads to ultra small niches thanks to the increase usage of social networks. LinkedIn upgraded their new ads service (DirectAds) where you can pay exactly for the clicked ads by your ultra-niche target audience (profession, location, group interests, etc). Facebook has a similar service (Facebook Social Ads) for mass consumers where you can target your audience based on their interests and affiliation to brands. For my field of work, the ultra-targeted ads and high control over the budget is a fantastic thing. Yes, for the progress!
Selling niche products will be easier and cheaper for a while until more will migrate to such social-based ads systems (the price of the ads increases with the competition on the keyword).
So now, we have richer jargon and many more buzz words: search engine marketing (SEM), search engines optimization (SEO), search engine advertising (SEA) and their new relatives, social networks marketing (SEM) and social networks advertising (SNA) and… whatever will come in the future!
