Hide and Seek: An Introduction to Search Engine Marketing

By Alison Engelsman, Media Strategist , Shaker Recruitment Advertising & Communications

Book your place at the Onrec Expo 2007 Conference

(Shaker has announced a special offer for attendees of the Onrec Expo 2007. All attendees who visit them at Booth 101 will receive a completely free Search Engine Marketing (SEM) proposal and recommendation).

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is definitely not a new term for advertisers, but it is unquestionably one of the fastest growing and most successful tools in on-line advertising. Since its infancy, SEM spend has increased substantially, accounting for only 1.3% of total online spending in 2000 to now whopping 42.5% in 2006 (eMarketer, April 2007). By anyone's standards, SEM is hot and is showing no signs of cooling down.

As SEM has proven to be extremely effective for recruitment advertising, recruiters are gradually incorporating it into their media strategies. This shift has placed great importance in truly understanding SEM, its capabilities, the marketplace, and what the future holds.

SEM Beginnings

The World Wide Web affords everyone the ability to publish content, check email, and find a job, along with various other capabilities. With user-friendly technology and the financial opportunities available in operating an on-line business, more than 100 million web sites have sprung up (CNN, October 2006) and more are on the way. However, with the extensive information on-line, search engines have become a necessity in the lifestyle of Internet users in which finding information quickly is a main objective. Their functionality supports why 80% of Internet traffic begins at a search engine (Harris Interactive Study) and on a daily basis more than 38 million people use search functions. However, from the perspective of Internet advertisers a new challenge arises...how can I guarantee my site will be found on a search engine?

Internet marketers initially responded with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO focuses on increasing ranking within the search results pages for particular keywords through modifications in the website structure and content. However, each search engine's algorithms vary on a regular basis to enhance the search experience. These obstacles, combined with the need to constantly monitor and adjust an entire web site, leaves SEO as a high-cost gamble that can yield mixed results.

The search engines response for a more efficient means was addressed by offering advertising in the form of paid results, hence the birth of SEM. With the development of paid results, search engines transformed themselves from acting as information retrieval systems to efficient marketing machines. Consumers search by using keywords of their choice, and advertisers pay to appear under the terms they find relevant for their target audience. The result: an instant hit for both users and advertisers with over 70% of search engine users saying they are ok with paid results (Pew Internet & American Life).

SEM 101

SEM campaigns function on a pay-per-click (PPC) model in which advertisers only pay if a user clicks on their ad. Advertisers bid on each keyword of their choice against other advertisers in order to gain placement in the paid listings. Now advertisers are able to use a platform that allows them to balance their performance with their budget, creating a synergized solution.

Reporting technology along with analytic programs are another driving advantage of using SEM. Advertisers are able to track total impressions, cost-per-click, click-through rate, total media spend, and where each respondent has navigated. This information provides invaluable market research on the effectiveness of one's web site and what users are looking for once they have entered.

Value in Recruitment SEM Campaigns

With SEM, all aspects of the campaign are controlled; budgets, creative, and even the timing of a company's advertisements will appear. By functioning on a PPC model, recruiters only pay if a user finds their ad relevant to them and clicks on it. This leverages SEM to literally be a no risk advertising medium.

Another important feature to SEM campaigns is that they are run in real time. This flexibility is well suited for recruitment, especially recruiters looking to fill positions in unusual time slots, like a third shift nurse. Campaigns can be launched within the course of a day and advertisers can choose when to turn it on or off.

Although SEM has been found to be effective, common arguments against using SEM have been: 1) We are already using job postings, 2) if job boards are already using SEM why should we allocate funds into this advertising venue?, and 3) my type of hire doesn't go online. However, as with any advertising strategy, a diversified media plan is critical to success. Search engines are becoming the emerging platform that has Internet users united in a single marketplace. So the major issue is, can you afford not having your brand and message visible on this high volume landscape?

SEM offers employers the ability to appear to jobseekers when they are first beginning their job search. If a job seeker is using a search engine, they have already made a choice to proactively seek out information in regards to finding a new job. So instead of recruiters pushing their message to reach job seekers, recruiters are able to take advantage of connecting with active job seekers who are in a way pursuing you.

Overall, job seekers are leaning on the search engines more than ever to help them in their job search. Just alone, the word jobs is searched over 25,000 times daily on search engines (Wordtracker.com). Through SEM, your company and employment opportunities will be found whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a local business. With its various targeting abilities and PPC model, SEM is valuable because it drives traffic to your site, and the traffic consists of people who have already begun their search to find information that you offer. Out of the results, they have chosen you as their interest, making these potential candidates priceless and making SEM a definite must on every recruiter's to-do list.

Alison Engelsman, Media Strategist
Alison joined Shaker in October of 2006, and she has progressed quickly within her department since that time. As a Media Associate, Alison managed agency Internet retainers for such high-profile accounts as Jones Lang LaSalle and Follett, but it has been her keen understanding of emerging Internet trends and the potential they hold for Shaker clients that resulted in her promotion to the role of Media Strategist. In this new capacity, Alison is educating clients on the value of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), training her colleagues on the finer points of this dynamic advertising medium, and driving business growth, increasing revenues by 70% over seven months. Alison has a Bachelor's degree in English and Communications from Elmhurst College.

Book your place at the Onrec Expo 2007 Conference



www.shaker.com
www.onrec.com/expo2007