The Importance Of Client Service

I’ve been in search engine marketing industry for a long time now…and I’ve really come to appreciate excellent client service. For a long time Yahoo has been one of the best client service oriented companies I’ve worked with in the Inernet marketing space. Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not one to brown nose [trust me it won't get me anywhere] but Yahoo Search Marketing staff are quite good.

I have noticed this with other search engines who offer pay per click services. MSN does a very nice job of communicating with their clients. Their account managers are “johnny-on-the-spot” with most issues. I believe they [MSN] was on the ball pretty early in the CRM game.

I believe that these search engines who work with just about any sized company and any sized search marketing agency make the entire search experience better. If you follow the chain of events I think it becomes apparent why many search engines spend time, resources and money to train and educate their account reps.

Consider the following path…

1. Individual enters a search query on Yahoo, MSN, etc…
2. Natural\Paid are served
3. Excellent SEO and paid results go to battle over the searcher
4. The paid placement has about 5 seconds to win or loose…
5. When the paid ad wins and all aspects of the keyword, ad copy and landing page jive there is now a win win.

This scenario is a win for the searcher, win for the advertiser [in very general terms] and is a win for the search engine. I must give credit to all of those account managers who have taken their time to work with me on some very difficult pay per click campaigns.

While this may seem like some kind of suck up to the search engines, what would the search landscape look like if they didn’t lend a hand? After all – who knows their APIs, tools and products better than they? No one.

My point in all of this is some type of idealism I guess – the way I would like the world to be.  It would be fantastic if all of the AIGs of the world and huge corporate companies decided it would be in the best interest of the users, general public and purveyors of such things if client service were a priority.

Just imagine…IF client service were a priority…search engine marketing would be better, search results would be better and in general we as buyers of bright shiny objects, cars, financial instruments, governmental bureaucracies could be more efficient and we [the buyers and the public] would get exactly what we paid for.

Until that better time, I think we can all be thankful one good company at a time. For those of you who are in client service - please keep it up because there are people like me who are greatful for the work you do.

Meet the New Boss…same as…

Seth Godin has continued to inspire me since I read Permission Marketing and Meatball Sunde. Marketing is not the same any more. No longer is it cool to throw spaghetti against the wall to see what is going to stick. Spending your way to profits and into the hearts/minds of consumers is like throwing a jart into the Grand Canyon or playing in traffic. It just does not make sense.

The old boss was television, radio, print, direct mail and billboards. Those methods of reaching massive audiences worked at one time (they did…I know because I was alive way back then). I imagine the idea was; spread your brand and message as far and as wide as possible and just get eyeballs on it and they will buy. With the advent of the Internets and World Wide Webs things have changed in a big way.

I guess any person with an ounce of knowledge about the Internet and traditional marketing would have a sneaking suspicion that some thing really BIG was happening. And that it may be possible that things are not what they once were. I find it a little mind blowing that there are still some many non-believers in the Internet and the power of one-on-one marketing. I can hear it now…”Oh, the Internet is a fad,” – yeah, so was television.

Yes, it is true. There are those that believe that marketing on the Internet is nothing more that whizzbangery and voodoo with a twist of magic juice. The truth is…the math is not there any more and the audience isn’t either. Traditional forms of advertising just don’t pack the punch they used to. The 24 hour news cycle and living life so fast we fail to live at times, have seen to that [oh, look a bright shiny object].

What I’m saying here is; traditional marketing worked because there were no other distractions for the masses. Life was more simple, marketing was simple and getting people to buy the wares and charms we sold was simple. We the people had nothing more to do. Now time are much different. We are spending hours, days or weeks online and you can add in a child or two with some pets and top it off with just about anything else you like…responding to other forms of media not directly related to your life can become over whleming.

So what in the hell has changed all of the good times? What has changed the simplicity of one message to millions? The Internet.  I live and breathe as a searchologist spending most of my waking hours online. Me and all the others like me (around 65% of America) are online. Around 65% of all buying decisions are made based on research or items found online. Marketing is not one to many…it is one on one.

If I’m right…and Seth is right and Justin Sanger is right…and so many others like us are right, then we need to do a little math for the others that need to catch on a little better. Running an ad in a big city newspaper is going to cost BIG. Not only will that ad cost around $20,000 to $25,000 it will only run for one weekend. As Internet marketers, we can run a national campagin for a full year if we don’t blow budgets and we can account for every visitor, lead, CPA and tons more. What can the newspaper account for? ZIP.

This same scenerio can be applied to all other forms of traditional media. What is more, the cost per lead or aqusition…is going to be really big. Possibly 10x more that what it would cost to generate the same lead or conversion online. So, that is the new boss…Internet marketing. The new media is crushing the old media like a Viking on really good ale seeking a hot snack.

I’m not saying that there is not a place for the old media…not at all. I still love the commercials at Super Bowl time more than any other time of the year. I do respond to some ads in the newpaper when I have one in my hands. But not all messages speak to all people. Not when you can hop online and throw in a few keywords and find just about anything – EXACTLY anything you are looking for.

Point is…times have changed and this post is directed at those who are refusing to get on and begin the road to understanding and acceptance of online marketing. Do I think it would make the world a better place? No. Do I think it would make user experience better on or off line? It could. I’m simply saying for the old markeitng is not totally out and never will be…but I’ve gotten pretty tired of defending my chosen industry of search markeitng.

It’s not all about the frustration of trying to explain Google Ad words or search engine optimization for the millionth time…nope. It is the frustration of working with very smart and knowledgeable marketers who refuse to accept and adept to Internet marketing. I willing to help…but they have to be willing to accept and listen. Until then…it is going to be the old boss for them [who is very cranky and sleepy].

Searchology 101

There are many definitions for the profession of marketing online [Internet marketing, search marketing, etc.] and as many names for the types promotion on the World Wide Web. As Internet marketing is still in it’s infancy, I prefer Searchology. I may have coined the phrase some years ago but to avoid any type of legal craziness I will simply take the ”ology” and the “search” and my own take on what I believe it is and move on.

Searchology [surch-ol-uh-je] 

- noun

1. the science that deals with marketing web sites, landing pages and other World Wide Web wonders via natural means or paid placements.
2. the study of human interaction and web sites, display ads, text ads, video ads and other forms of continually emerging Internet technologiesand online destinations.
3. the art form of creating high impact bright and shiny objects [online] which will propel the viewers to interact and take action based on messaging and creativity.
4. the analysis of collected data from human interaction and marketed web sites without loosing ones mind.

origin ~ 2005 ~ search + ology

Dr. Search (AJDii)

Searchologist [surch-ol-uh-jist]

- noun

1. a person who specializes in searchology

origin: 2005 ~ search + ologist

Dr. Search (AJDii)

Welcome.

I’ve been in the Search marketing business since 2003 when I started with a company called LocalLaunch. I have long intended to write about the search and my perspective on it…thus the blog. I work on some small projects and for a larger company called Enable Holdings and it’s subsidiary uBid.com. Let me say up-front, this it is not my intention to promote my company, however, I am all about some linking.

With my new online voice I aim to help provide some solid strategy for online business owners, individuals who are trying to start their own web site and help those seeking the truth between the science and art that is Searchology.