I recently read an interesting Marketing Sherpa case study on a successful search engine marketing (SEM) project.
Before the project manager was able to proceed, she had to formally pitch search engine marketing to the company management, as opposed to other advertising mediums of trade show booths or direct mail.
Say that again? You heard me correctly; she actually had to convince her corporate associates that search engine marketing was a worthwhile endeavor.
To me, the thought of even questioning the value of search engine marketing is a completely foreign concept. It’s like questioning the value of food or exercise. (Okay, so I tend to be a little dramatic, but still…)
Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find tons of online articles about how to justify a search marketing budget.
Of course, I appreciate that any new marketing endeavor will require a proposal and budget approval.
But because it is so extraordinarily easy to track ROI from search marketing – and also because the ROI that search engine marketing generates is always so extraordinary in itself – the question of “whether” a company wants to invest in SEM should instead be changed to “when” or “how much”.
Although we may be reluctant to admit to their power, search engines can have a huge impact on the success of your website.
If search engines are the #1 way users find new websites, then search engine marketing makes the difference between whether you receive qualified traffic, or not.
Effective search engine marketing can double your revenue. I’ve seen it happen- and you can also look through some of our testimonials and case studies to see positive results for yourself.
When you do decide to invest in SEM (and please note that I said “when”, not “if”), be sure to use a good analytics tool.
That way you’ll get all the justification needed to prove your search engine marketing was a smart investment, right down to the last penny.
So are you convinced? I certainly hope so.
And if there are any corporate marketers out there whose management is still debating the wisdom of an SEM investment, just tell them that Sarah at Oneupweb said it was the most promising idea you’ve had in ages.
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Oneupweb is the only two-time winner of the ClickZ award for “Best Search Engine Engine Marketing Firm”. StraightUpSearchs blog authors include experts from Oneupwebs natural SEO, pay-per-click campaign management, research, marketing, design, and sales departments.
