Posted by: Jessica Shepherd, Project Manager
Can search engine marketing (or SEM) continue to sustain itself in the current economic slump? Here’s what some industry experts have to say…
A recent issue alert from BtoB Magazine reveals how search engine marketing remains strong despite the economic downturn. A new Covario study shows 32% growth for Q3 year over year for paid search in North America, while Forrester Research projects that paid search will grow 26% this year alone. Evan Andrews, an interactive marketing analyst with Forrester, said, “Because of its inherent accountability, search offers a safe haven for marketers and advertisers who are pushed by the recession to meet some pretty aggressive goals. You can track every cent and every click.”
Considering the current state of the economy and how some marketing budgets are being cut, it’s more important than ever for marketing tactics to be measurable. Take a glance at how digital tactics are affected during a recession in this MarketingSherpa chart:
My take? It’s no coincidence that advertisers are utilizing lower cost, measurable digital marketing tactics to maintain visibility and customer relationships. It’s critical to engage with smart marketing tactics that provide the best ROI for your business. That’s the bottom line.
Posted by: Leslie Russell, Senior Marketing Coordinator
Where has the time gone? It has been over a year since you last updated the metadata so important to your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), you can’t remember when the content on your site was last updated and some of your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising keywords seem a little stale. Now is the time to see which keywords have been performing, revamp your keyword list and get a refreshed search engine marketing strategy rolled out.
Start off by doing a little investigation on the success of your last keyword strategy.
Phase 1: Research
· Review your site in-depth. Have you updated content or removed content? Are you keeping pace with trends in your industry?
· Glance at your key competitors’ websites. Are they using different language and keywords throughout their content or metadata? Reviewing their sites may spark additional ideas for your keyword strategy.
· Pull analytics reports looking at non-paid and paid keywords. Consider if all of these terms are still relevant, or if there are new terms you haven’t considered before.
· Use keyword tools to gather recommendations of adjectives, synonyms, plurals, etc.
· Take a look your organic and paid visibility. Are you getting exposure for the keywords you consider most important? If not consider how to make those words a higher priority in your refreshed keyword strategy. read more »
Posted by: Kelly Hall, Account Manager
Companies continue to utilize search engine marketing (SEM) to promote their products and services. Why? The simple fact is that prospects, as a result of the current economic conditions, are evaluating their purchasing decisions more closely than ever before.
In fact, prospects are now tasked with making smarter purchasing decisions. Faced with shrinking budgets, or simply calls to be more careful spenders, they are taking more steps to ensure that their purchases will 100% satisfy their business needs. read more »
Posted by: Rosemary Riley, Senior Copywriter
If our recent series of posts on e-mail marketing hasn’t convinced you yet, check out these findings, courtesy of an eMarketer article from October 15th based on MarketingSherpa research:
Highlights of the full story include:
- E-mail ad spending was up 15% to $230 million during the first half of 2008 compared with the first half of 2007.
- As of Q1 2008, online marketers in the US said they were least likely to decrease e-mail marketing spending in case of a recession. Just 5% said they would cut their spending on e-mail if times got tight, compared with 41% who said they would cut display ads.
It seems e-mail isn’t going anywhere… at least not yet.
Posted by: Caitlin Diehl, Marketing Coordinator
With businesses investing more and more in interactive marketing efforts, it seems like there are hundreds of new e-newsletters popping up every day. How do you know which ones to subscribe to? Which ones are helpful, and which ones will only take up space in your inbox? Below is a list of some of my favorite e-newsletters available today and details on how they manage to stay on top with new competitors emerging all of the time.
· MediaPost’s SearchINSIDER
o INSIDER guarantees good content in a short, easy-to-read format. The blog is available through free subscription. It is sent to your inbox every day and provides valuable information about the search engine industry. Topics range from tips on word-of-mouth branding to social media marketing and even Google engine updates.
http://www.mediapost.com/blogs/search_insider/
read more »
Posted by: Rosemary Riley, Senior Copywriter
Over the past month, we’ve been covering topics related to email - from benchmarks to best practices. Now MarketingSherpa has issued a new Guide with research in which marketers reveal top strategies for email during an economic downturn.
They offer a timely, special fourteen-page PDF as a free excerpt from the Guide. It includes:
- Stats showing email’s resurgence as a marketing tactic during the economic downturn
- Marketers’ attitudes toward email budgets and correlation with performance
- An eyetracking heatmap on how to overcome image-blocking
- And an outline of opportunities for international email marketing read more »
This month’s issue of BtoB Magazine includes a story on how 90octane helped Fortune 500 manufacturing company Gates Corporation generate leads and engage prospects through a virtual tradeshow.
The show, organized by Penton Media’s New Equipment Digest and Machine Design magazines, took place in May. Visitors browsed through the online booth to find various pieces of Gates content, such as white papers, case studies and brochures. They also participated in an online chat with Gates employees and attended a webinar, “Designing Belt Power Transmissions Systems for Energy Savings.”
Find out about the results when you read the story.
Posted by: Kelly Hall, Account Manager
When you’re mobilizing to create an email campaign for lead nurturing there are two very important considerations to make. Number 1, timing.
We’ve all gotten them – the automatic email you receive, after registering for something from a company, thanking you for your interest. Great, right? Definitely. But what about when you get another email, pushing you to take action less than a day later? And they just keep coming, every day? All of a sudden you’re not quite as interested in what that company has to tell you. Instead, you may be tempted to unsubscribe, or worse, put them on your blacklist. We, as marketers, need to walk the fine line of staying top of mind for our prospects, and simultaneously not being annoying. read more »
90octane and long-time partner Globus family of friends work together on an SEM program that turns heads. In fact, it was recently named Finalist in the OMMA Awards 2008’s Search Campaign category. See the full list of Finalists here: http://www.mediapost.com/ommaawards/gateway.cfm?ip=finalists.
“Each marketing dollar dedicated has shown tremendous return, with customers converting at an unprecedented rate. Careful planning during every phase, from the initial strategy to creative execution and ongoing optimization, has contributed to program results that far exceeded our expectations,” said Jeff Russell, e-Marketing Manager for Globus family of brands.
In addition to SEO, PPC advertising, contextual advertising and media planning, 90octane manages the travel blog Story Suitcase.
Posted by: Janessa Seewald, Account Manager
Third party lists or internal database? How often? What day of the week and time of day? What results can I expect to see (open rate, click-through rate, conversion rates, etc.)? Marketers face many questions when planning, implementing and managing an email program. Here’s your chance to get some answers. Post any questions you have in the Comments area, and a qualified online marketing expert from 90octane will be in touch.
Of course, the industry you’re in will affect your campaigns, but there are still certain best practices and benchmarks that serve as useful guidelines. read more »
