SES Chicago!

Several of us here at IdeaStar had the opportunity to attend Search Engine Strategies (SES) Chicago back in December. There was a lot to learn in four days! Our schedules were packed with knowledge from experts in the field.

There were many interesting facts that we learned to help shape our online marketing approach for clients. We learned that search from '05-'06 increased by about 20 billion searches/year and from '06-'07 it grew by about 35 billion searches/year! The average internet user submits 74 queries per month in search engines. Another interesting tidbit is that about 85% of 'online consumers' buy offline. They go online to research or compare products but actually make purchases offline. These facts are essential when it comes to devising an online marketing plan for your business.

During the week a large emphasis was placed on what the difference is between traditional and online marketing, so I wanted to explain this for others to understand. In the past, through traditional marketing and advertising products were pushed out to the consumer. It was most important to see HOW MANY consumers could be reached.
Online marketing changes things. Advertisers need to figure out what consumers want before creating their message. It allows them to be in the right place at the right time, when the consumer is actually looking for their product! Therefore, the most important question becomes WHO you are targeting. Search allows the marketer to be there at the exact moment the consumer is searching with targeted keywords.
So, even though all forms of marketing have the same goals and ideas online marketing introduces many new aspects to consider.

Google also announced many new concepts as they continue their search dominance. They have added tracking for internal site searches, event tracking and outbound link tracking (to see where people are going from your site). They have also been testing all different forms of advertising through their AdWords application. What began as simply pay-per-click campaigns has grown to placing ads on television, radio and in newspapers through the same interface.

The world of online marketing and search continues to evolve, with new ideas surfacing all the time. By attending conferences such as SES, we ensure our team is up to date on all the latest marketing trends to provide the best experience and knowledge for our clients.

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