The Sobriety of Search Engine Strategies - Chicago

For any who did not attend, Search Engine Strategies Chicago last week turned out to be worth combating the nine-degree, snowstorm-laden week of weather. The smaller crowd meant a more intimate setting, which made for an engaging experience. The main takeaway—as a marketing professional, publisher and speaker—was one of somber reality. The litmus test for the growth of any industry is how good the parties are and how many folks consume beyond their means. And for SES Chicago 2008, sobriety seemed more the norm than the exception. I don’t believe that this means search is in for a bad year—I think it’s more a reflection on the anxiety the industry has with the economic clouds looming. We worry how long financial stability will last.

The hubris of past shows seemed to be missing. Parties were fun but not extravagant. The mood was engaging but not exuberant and the content was ROI driven (which we all love) and not self-aggrandizing. I felt three main events captured the spirit and messages of the event: Josh James, CEO of Omniture’s keynote on data versus action; our own Business-to-Business Search Tactics panel session and the under-the-radar discussion about economy and search at the social events.

Day two began with James providing an entertaining keynote address that focused on the uselessness of data and the importance of actionable data. In typical fashion, we all heard how big and great his now industry-leading Omniture is in the space of analytics (rightfully so, I might add), but, to his credit, he got right to the point of making data useful. The main takeaway for me was that all of us have analytics tools on our Web sites, so there’s no better time than now to really scrutinize and strategize your analytics so you can have data that actually lets you make decisions. Hard costs are negligible (which the CFO will love) and the long-term result will be more ROI for the dollar.

Online Marketing Summit’s panel drew a large crowd, considering three other sessions were happening concurrently. The size of audience meant for me that the need for advanced sessions and b2b specifics is underserved—not just as SES, but at most conferences (note to self: Online Marketing Summit will have advanced tracks). The main nugget was the life cycle management of search. Where most of us only attribute the last place someone clicked that leads to the potential lead or rfq, research shows that there are usually at least three other sites someone looks at when researching and comparing. And it is the first or second place they find your company that is most important—not the last. With long sales cycles, it is critical for most in b2b to really manage search for the entirety and focus on KWPs in the early stages and not just credit those that were the final click.

The speaker happy-hour off-site events like iProspect’s House of Blues social gathering and the milieu around the bar were really where all the insight came for me. Conversations about sharing rooms, the CFO of iProspect checking up on new faces like me to see how we got the invite to their party, not to mention the choice of beers being limited to domestic bottle at what would normally seem like a high-class affair, were indicative of the economy.

People noticed who was not at SES Chicago, ending conversations with: “Got to start picking and choosing at which conferences I speak…” That was a wakeup call because speaking is such a great exposure opportunity and now, because of travel expenses, they are going to cut out what may be their best lead generator. Socially, smiles abounded but the economic uncertainty weighed heavy in the heart.

For anyone who did not attend SES Chicago, you did miss a really strong conference. Long overdue new speakers, engaging content and a more intimate crowd made it worthwhile. But the cloud of uncertainty hangs over us in search and online marketing, so prepare to tackle the business and life issues that ensue. For me, it compelled a tactic of “helping” others in sharing how we approach our own Online Marketing Summit and related certification program by giving significant discounts as well as payment plans to those affected (lost jobs or reduced budgets). So, I hope that all take the same spirit in supporting those who need versus taking the selfish comfort that it’s not you…because soon it may well be.