The web and blogosphere is awash with buzz about social media and networking. Marketers and companies alike are trying to figure out how these channels might fit into their overall marketing strategies.
Search Engine Marketing Council opcom member Amanda Watlington is in the thick of the web 2.0 movement and recently agreed to an interview. We discussed topics ranging from her entre into the search marketing business, to marketing with Second Life, blogs, social media and the DMA Search Engine Marketing Certification program.
A few sample questions:
What do you think are some of the biggest mistakes marketers have made so far in Second Life and what do you think marketing on Second Life will look like in 3 years?
The biggest mistake that marketers can make and are making is of trying to jump in without understanding the social mores of Second Life. It is a community and success is based on networking and building credibility. Just because a business is well accepted in the real world, it is a false assumption to expect it to transcend to Second Life. Join the community and take part in its life before launching a business effort. We’ve been active in Second Life for sometime now, and we are just moving forward with a business/marketing effort that is directed at this community. Go slowly to go fast.
You’ve been charged as the architect for the DMA’s Search Engine Marketing Certification program. Please share your thoughts on the DMA’s motivations and the industry’s need for such a program.
Search marketing has enjoyed explosive growth in the past five years. Today, there is an absolute need for marketers at all levels to know the principles and the best practices of search marketing. It has become a core marketing skill. There is a need for talent at the strategic and tactical levels, and this is the need that the DMA is addressing.
Where can people turn to learn what they need to know about the discipline? How can they evaluate what has been learned? Yes! There are programs available or they can send staff to conferences with a list of sessions to attend, but there must be a framework to set the valuable tactics within. You don’t jump into a novel writing workshop if you have never written a paragraph.
With its broad experience in direct marketing and large constituency of direct marketers, the DMA is a natural fit for developing training in search marketing.
You can read the entire Amanda Watlington interview here. Find out more about Amanda Watlington on her blog, “Blogs and Feeds” or her company web site.
