3 Reports came across my desk this past week that I think
confirms the importance of search engine optimization and
search engine marketing for companies participating in the
manufacturing value chain.
I read that a Forrester report confirms what we
have been hearing for years. That is, interactive marketing
is increasing in the United States. In the "Five-Year
Interactive Marketing Forecast Report," Forrester Research projects
a 17% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for interactive
marketing spending over the next 5 years in the United
States.
Search Engine Marketing is expected to grow by a 15% CAGR,
making up more than half of all the interactive marketing
dollars. Forrester estimates that Social Media and Mobile
marketing will have the greatest growth rate, albeit, starting from
small amount of dollars spent.
It's interesting that the second report, the "Global
Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2009-2013" report from
PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that the total ad spending in
North America (US makes up 94% of North America in study)
compounded annually will decrease by 1.6% in the next 5
years. So while the total amount of money for advertising is
decreasing, the percentage of that total spend for interactive
marketing is increasing.
Small and mid-market companies with limited marketing
budgets should take note of the overall trend. People
believe that search engine optimization and marketing should play a
major role in generating leads and sales. In [x+1]'s "Search
Engine Marketing in 2009" report, 60% of the senior-level SEMs
surveyed were using SEO for lead generation. Especially, in this
economic situation, search engine optimization can be the most cost
effective method for small and mid-market manufacturing
firms. It has the greatest reach, working all the time, at a
low cost.
Be careful though; SEO/SEM requires research, a thought-out
strategy, and monitoring to be effective. In
the "Search Engine Marketing in 2009" report, only 20% of
respondents expected their search engine marketing to perform
better than 5 on a scale of 1-10 this year, 10 being most
succesful.
TwinEngines builds websites with content management systems as
the foundation for managing SEO content. We
help companies leverage that investment and create an
effective SEM program to meet the business goals and
objectives. For small and mid-market manufacturers, we offer
a continuous program approach to monitor and respond to changing
conditions. It is a very cost effective program with
demonstrative returns on the investment.
Click here for an overview
of SEO tactical basics.