Clicks 'n Conversions Blog

This article was first published March 25, 2008 on the Tatum Marketing blog

Is Search Engine Marketing (organic optimization, pay-per-click advertising, paid inclusion) part of your marketing program? It should be.

If you’re a regular reader of TechnoBuzz or you know me personally you know I believe that online visibility is a key to successful software or technology marketing. And online visibility starts with search marketing. (see Your Best Prospects Are Searching for You – Can They Find You?)

Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

Last week the SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization) released a preview of findings from its 2007 State of the Market report. Basically it found that marketers intend to keep increasing the amount of money they’re pouring into search marketing. (For those of you who require numbers: in North America, marketers spent $9.6 billion on search engine marketing in 2006 and $12.2 billion in 2007.  This is projected to increase to $25.2 billion by 2011.)

But so what?

Marketers are increasing their use of search engine marketing because it works. They are, in essence, following their customers. Here’s what this means:

1. If you’re NOT currently using search engine marketing to get new customers, you need to catch up.
2. If you ARE using search engine marketing and your results are merely adequate or less, it’s probably not the tactic itself – it’s your program and you can fix it.

We’ll talk about how you do this in future posts. For now, just keep in mind that:

• Search marketing is the best way to reach people who are looking for the solutions you provide.
• Although click costs are going up and more small-to-mid-sized companies are getting into the game (adding competition), search marketing is and will continue to be one of the most cost effective customer acquisition tactics available.

Thanks to Doug Karr and his Marketing Technology Blog for calling this report to our attention.