Direct Marketers Could Rule the Search Engine Advertising World

I’ve always enjoyed working with, and learning from, direct marketers since there are so many parallels between their field and Internet marketing. And the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that all Direct Marketers should make search engine advertising a key part of their service offering.

I’m currently working on a presentation on search engine advertising that I am giving at the Canadian Marketing Association’s Direct Marketing Conference later this month. (It’s shaping up to be a lively day of learning and discussion; check it out.) What keeps resonating with me is the fact that Direct Marketers are so well suited to become masters of this relatively new discipline. My concern, however, is that many of them may not realize this.

Just consider what your average Direct Marketer brings to the search engine advertising table:

• They are big believers in measuring the ROI of advertising;
• They already have a test and measure mindset;
• They recognize their craft is both an art and a science; and…
• They have decades of transferable best practices that can be applied to search advertising.

In other words, before they even launch their first ever search advertising campaign, Direct Marketers already possess some of the best ‘marketing DNA’ to make this tactic sing. Do they still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of search engine advertising? Of course they do, but at least they come to it with the right frame of mind to begin with.

Smart Direct Marketers have already embraced, or will soon embrace, search advertising as a key tool in their marketing arsenal. Failing to do so will be a great loss for all concerned.

Comments

[Joy Boyson]

Thanks for this, Bill -- I've also posted a similar reply at OneDegree.

Please see my related article. The Direct Marketing Assocation (DMA) published this piece in early 2004:

"Triple Threat: The 3Ds of CRM".

http://joy.boyson.googlepages.com
- "3Ds" link