BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 17, 2008) - Recent research reveals that more than half
(51%) of all organizations surveyed say that the biggest reason for
implementing search engine marketing the way they do is the need to drive
better conversion rates both online and offline. In September and October,
Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), conducted a study of over 200
organizations worldwide on paid search, paid inclusion and search engine
optimization (SEM) to reveal just what differentiates the Best-in-Class
from all other organizations. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report,
visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5360
With a continued bleak economic outlook worldwide, the ability to drive
conversions and stretch shrinking marketing budgets is more important than
ever. "Regardless of the market -- retail, real estate, construction,
finance, etc. -- companies must maximize their return on marketing
investment more so than in a good economy due to increased competition for
the eyes and ears of prospects," said Steve Lawrence, research analyst and
author of the research report "What Does It Take to Create Best-in-Class
Search Engine Marketing?" Aberdeen's data reveals that the Best-in-Class
see an average return on marketing investment of 108%, while Industry
Average firms only recognize a 16.5% return. "Companies, large and small,
will need to justify to their executives the successes and failures in
search marketing efforts in a quantifiable way or risk losing budget. And
note that traditionally Marketing budgets tend to get cut first when
evaluating spend."
The research data also reveals that 79% of the Best-in-Class provide access
to real-time or near real-time analytics and 74% provide historical
analysis of SEM initiatives. These numbers compare to 58% and 42% for
Laggards respectively. Companies that do not analyze the data that they
capture online and offline not only risk not maximizing search engine
marketing efforts, but also jeopardize a chance to justify budget
increases.
The report discusses the importance of having formal processes and policies
in place for delivering leads to the sales team and the fact that 68% of
the Best-in-Class utilize a customer relationship management technology
solution to support their search engine marketing efforts. With the
downturn in the economy having closed-loop marketing in place will maximize
online and off-line marketing efforts.
Ultimately, to obtain a competitive advantage companies need to employ a
combination of strategic actions, capabilities and technologies. Chapter
three of the report outlines the specific actions organizations should take
to attain Best-in-Class status.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part to the
following underwriters: Hubspot, iProspect, and Covario, Inc. To obtain a
complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5360
For additional access to complimentary Information Technology Research,
please visit
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/Information-Technology/
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Stephen Lawrence
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5346
stephen.lawrence@aberdeen.com