WAKEFIELD, Mass., Nov. 14, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) http://www.SEMPO.org, today announced it has launched its third annual survey to gauge industrywide trends in search engine marketing activities, attitudes and spending.
"We are asking search marketing agency and in-house professionals to log on (http://www3.intellisurvey.com/run/sempo06) and take the survey which we have streamlined this year after feedback from our members," says Kevin Lee, member of the SEMPO Board of Directors. "This is a great opportunity for search marketing professionals to tell us their top business concerns, how their marketing spend has changed over the past year, and importantly what key changes they anticipate in the year ahead," says Lee.
Radar Research, a Los Angeles-based research and consulting firm which conducted last year's survey, has been hired to conduct the 2006 market survey as well. Radar founder Aram Sinnreich says more than 1,000 search marketing professionals are being asked to participate this year. The survey will be conducted during November and December, with preliminary results beginning in January and full reports published during Q1 2007.
Last year's survey uncovered a number of newsworthy trends: it revealed that advertisers in North America had increased their advertising spend 44 percent over 2004, for a total of $5.75 billion. Although search engine optimization (SEO) was the top tactic funded by marketers, paid placement campaigns comprised the bulk of the total spending. The survey also found that much of SEM funding came from a shift from other programs and did not represent newly created funding. The survey also revealed that advertisers were approaching pricing limits in terms of click prices.
Incentives for Participation
In addition to early access to the results of the survey, one participant in the survey will be randomly awarded a conference pass to the Search Engine Strategies conference (over $1,000 value).
Stepped Up In-House Component
The 2006 survey will include an expanded section on in-house search marketing, a growing force in the industry, says Lee. "Our recent, new networking events for corporate marketers drew standout crowds. This is a group of professionals with their own unique perspective and concerns, and SEMPO felt it was time to dedicate more survey questions to in-house marketing issues," explains Lee.
About the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO)
SEMPO is a global non-profit organization serving the search engine marketing industry and marketing professionals engaged in it. Its purpose is to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research, and creating a better understanding of search and its role in marketing. SEMPO represents the common interests of more than 450 companies and consultants worldwide and provides them with a voice in the marketplace. SEMPO's education and outreach initiatives are sponsored in part by Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google, Verizon Superpages.com, Atlas, Search Engine Strategies, and Ingenio. For more information, or to join the organization, please visit http://www.SEMPO.org.
About Radar Research
Radar Research is a Los Angeles-based research and consulting firm aimed at the nexus of media, technology, culture and commerce. It was founded by two former Jupiter Research analysts, Marissa Gluck and Aram Sinnreich. Radar conducts research on behalf of both corporate clients and non-profit organizations, such as DoubleClick, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Nielsen//Netratings, the Online Publishers Association and The Norman Lear Center. For more information, please visit www.radarresearch.com