Growing Up or Just Booming Again?
Posted by tim on December 27, 2004 at 11:15 AM
Business Week takes a look at advertising online as it speculates on what 2005 will have to offer.
The article speaks in very general terms, taking into account all online advertising, including banners and all the rest. Search does of course fall into this mix and is touched on, if only very subtly.
Recently, another search optimization and marketing firm announced that it had been purchased by a larger ad agency.
Is it the eventual growth and maturation of the Internet as an ad medium, or is this just another fad fueled craze?
Are companies and agencies really learning the value of what online advertising can be, or is this the result of countless media stories that hype online ads finally having an effect on marketing departments? Sort of a chicken and egg theory at play here. Are marketers really flocking to the Internet because they've "got it", or are they coming in waves because they're afraid to miss it?
Hard to say yet. Online advertising can certainly be a powerful media. Especially with it's demographic targeting and accountability. There's the catch though. Over and over we see reports about company A spending thousands without the tools to track campaigns. So I wonder, why is that? The options available for tracking are so vast, with something in every price range and level of expertise, that I can't imagine why this information would be ignored. Unless of course company A has no clue they can get this data. And if they don't know that, do they really understand online advertising?
It strikes me that all this sounds rather cynical. I don't mean for it to. News like this is very encouraging. I'm excited for 2005. It's great that companies are ready to come back online with as much vigor as they are. Anything we can do to help is fantastic.
It Just Comes Naturally
Posted by tim on December 21, 2004 at 02:10 PM
In less than a year, we've seen the winds of fancy swing far and wide in the world of search.
We just got back from the SES conference in Chicago and as usual, conversations were interesting and enlightening.
Back in March, at SES New York, paid search was a hot topic. Seemed that most of the folks we talked to there wanted to know what we could do for them when it came to PPC. Summer came, SES landed in San Jose, and PPC was still a big, big issue for a lots of our visitors.
SES Chicago had a different feel to it though. PPC wasn't nearly so hot this time around. Everyone wanted to talk about natural search. Almost like we're back to the basics.
Realistically there's probably a number of reasons we had these conversations. We've always focused on natural search optimization. It may be that people are getting to know us a little better and just want to have that conversation with us. I suspect there is something more to it though. You could almost hear pain in people's voices when they were talking about how much they had budgeted for PPC.
There's a lot of talk lately about the diminishing ROI on paid search. Makes sense too. With such low barriers to entry, the market gets more and more crowded everyday. And with so many novices in the game, bid prices sky rocket as they just keep throwing money towards the number one position.
All in all though, it's very encouraging. It's my hope that search marketing is finally maturing to the point that we'll start to see good balance in strategy. A strong natural campaign will set the foundation for long term results that can be complimented by an aggressive, flexible, targeted paid campaign.
"My Kind of Town"
Posted by tim on December 11, 2004 at 11:03 AM
The team from Oneupweb will be off to the Search Engine Strategies show in Chicago next week (Dec. 13-16)
*In a bit of shameless self promotion, if you're at SES, stop by to see us in booth 213
In all seriousness, we're looking forward to getting back out to meet, greet, and hear what it is that's foremost on the minds of customers heading into '05.
Get a Fix in the Mix
Posted by tim on December 11, 2004 at 10:30 AM
As hundreds of writers, commentators, pop figures, and bloggers will remind us steadily for the next several days, this is the season of the list.
What's hot, what's not, the next big thing, the last big thing, ad infinitum, etc., etc.
In that spirit, numbers are pouring in about the growth of search marketing. The dollars spent on search marketing are well into the billions, and there appears to be no slowing down. Some estimates have the market for search spending as high as $9 billion by 2007. All very encouraging.
On the other side of the fence though, there are those (too numerous to really pick just one) who argue that search, while a 'sexy' pick right now, isn't the end all and be all future of marketing and advertising.
I couldn't agree more.
Search marketing is obviously near and dear to my heart. My bread and butter. I'm happy to see and hear the other voices on this issue though. It's a great reminder that search marketing is just a part of the overall marketing/messaging mix for companies.
And that's the real strength of search marketing, and why I feel so strongly about it. I think that's also the very reason that advertising, marketing, and PR agencies should embrace SEM. It's another integral piece in an all encompassing strategy.
Done well, it not only supports a brand, but it can help lead to new opportunity every day. When ignored, search marketing, or in this case the lack of it, can undermine and even undo a brand.
We're looking forward to tremendous growth in SEM for 2005. Even more exciting though, is that we'll have even more opportunity to help companies make search a part of their strategy for the future of their own businesses.
Stop Hogging the Wheel. The Passenger View Can Be a Good One
Posted by tim on December 02, 2004 at 11:17 AM
Search is not going away.
This is not a fad.
Expect 55% growth for 2004.
The reason search works? Customer control.
One of the biggest hurdles to a successful search marketing strategy for many companies is language. All too often a company decides on their own dialect of market-ese and then they run with it. And they never stop running.
Guess what? Customers never started running with them. People use natural, simple language to share ideas. They don't care about a "bleeding-edge, innovative, time management tool to reshape lives", a desktop calendar will do nicely, thank you very much.
And there's the rub. For search marketing to really work, the keys have to be handed to the customer. The marketing language is good, and it really does set companies and products apart, but customers have to learn it. Give them a product. If it's a good product, they'll learn to speak the language. Be patient.
It's hard for a company to stop using their own code language, but that's okay. That might be the best reason of all to outsource search marketing. Bring in someone who knows how people are searching and using the Internet everyday. Work with an expert to reach out to new clients. No one knows your business they way you do, but do you know how people are trying to find you? Join forces, achieve results.
Simple really.
It's worth it. Worth every bit.
Posted by tim on December 01, 2004 at 10:52 AM
Recent numbers from TSN Media Intelligence/CMR shows that online advertising is up in 2004 by 25.8% from the same period last year. Similar stats are coming out from many sources has third quarter numbers are finalized. Online advertising/marketing is exploding right now, growing faster than any other advertising medium.
More importantly, it is projected that by the end of 2004, the Internet will have accounted for $106 billion in direct online purchases and it will have influenced more than $180 billion in offline spending. (from the Dieringer Research Group)
Turns out the pot at the end of the rainbow is filled with gold. Now you just have to make sure you've found the rainbow. With online marketing growing so steadily, it's critical to put a plan in place right now. Customers are out there and they're looking. Make sure they find you.
It's a safe bet that the competition is making serious efforts with their online marketing. Even if you and your clients are number one right now, that might not last.
