Portland Social Media & Online Marketing Blog

Could Experience & Social Media Replace an MBA?

Jesse Liebman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:14:18 +0000

With the economy being in shambles more and more recent graduates are turning towards more education to help them on the job-front. University officials were correct in predicting that business professionals, and recent college graduates, would turn to an MBA program to solidify job security. Dr. Randall S. Hansen has a great article on, “Is an MBA is worth it?” that makes me wonder if all that time an effort is really worth it? It depends on the industry you’re in, what you want to do, and how the market will respond to that extra piece of paper you’ve obtained. In the case of a marketing professional, I’m ready to debate that on the job training and the utilization of social media could replace an MBA.

First lets analyze an MBA and the advantages it could bring you. About 80 percent of business executives say a graduate degree is important to reach senior management within a company. An MBA could also give you negotiation leverage on job title and salary. Overall you’ll sharpen your communication skills, analytical skills, quantitative skills, and have a further understanding of how business should be run.

Of course for all of that knowledge you’ll be spending at least $40,000 a year and close to $100,000 for a two-year MBA program. Other factors on your MBA ROI will be if you’re staying at the same company, the amount of relevant experience you have, the industry you’re going into, the type of job you’re seeking, and the reputation of the school you attended.

Now I’m poking fun at graduate students with this photo, but in all seriousness I think there’s some validity to being able to utilize social media to garner the same skills an MBA would get you.

With an MBA you’ll be reading over case studys and examples of businesses that failed and businesses that were successful. Your job is to determine what actions caused them to reach their final destination and what could have been done differently to garner a more favorable outcome. Lets bring in Twitter to counter this example. Thousands of intelligent businessmen and women are tweeting while thousands more are tweeting about what these individuals are doing. By doing some legwork you could structure your own curriculum while using tweets and Twitter posted articles as your sources. It also gives you the opportunity to talk and ask questions directly to the source instead of it being in a piece of literature with a professor guiding you. Next we have the infamous lectures that you may relish or sleep through depending on your viewpoint. Lets have YouTube enter for this example. Now I haven’t found specific class lectures posted,which is a great idea, but I have found several lectures like Bill Gates address to Harvard University. If video is truly on the rise I would expect having the capabilities to find a lecture on any subject matter that you desire to fulfill the void from not being an MBA student. Last, but certainly not least, are these things called books. For example there’s the book What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street-Smart Executive. Now of course I’d be naive to think that by simply reading this book, watching a few videos, and tweeting could suffice what an MBA does. However, if you actually built out a curriculum, crafted your subject matter, and ensured you were retaining your knowledge I think you’d have a pretty good argument.

I’m by no means putting down anyone who’s currently, or has been through, an MBA program. I believe for every rectangle there’s a trapezoid that could accomplish the same thing. A different perspective and methodology could help you get the same skill set and information that you would through an MBA. The steps I laid out would have to be in conjunction with work experience. I think that an MBA can get you in the door, but your ability to solve problems directly affecting the business can only be accomplished through physical working experience. By supplementing an MBA with the use of concentrated social media use, we will see a new bread of executives that wont be intimidated by the growth of technology.

Most Overused Word In Sports: Athlete

Jesse Liebman — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:00:50 +0000

I sat watching College Football Saturday and kept hearing the same phrase used over and over again, “he’s an incredible athlete.” Sports announcers have always used colorful references and analogies to help paint an entertaining picture for sports fans. If you you can jump out of the gym and dunk you’re the next Michael Jordan. If you can run like the speed of light and jump like a gazelle you’re the next Jesse Owens. There will forever be inflated comparisons and expectations in sports, but one phrase I would like to see used sparingly is the term athlete.

World Class Athlete

As a marathoner, I can appreciate the time, dedication, and perseverance it takes to be a world class runner. Steve Prefontaine is a living legend here in Oregon, and if you go to the University of Oregon or Coos Bay you might as well call it Steve’s Shrine. I think one of the greatest signs of Prefontaine’s athletic ability was his VO2 max, a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use. It is a measurable level of exercise intensity that an athlete’s consumption of oxygen reaches causing a plateau that cannot be increased. Prefontaine’s VO2 max was 84.4 while another world class athlete, Lance Armstrong, has a VO2 max of 84.0.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an athlete as:

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

I wont get into the debate of what is considered a sport or not, to determine who’s an athlete, but I will debate that we take this term too far.

Maybe it’s because I’m an avid College Football fan, but weekend in and weekend out we have sports announcers tagging players with the term athlete. An offensive lineman who gets burned time after time is an athlete, but he’s just going up against better competition. A linebacker who has a 100 yard interception for a touchdown needs oxygen to resuscitate themselves, but is an athlete. A quarterback who couldn’t run three yards for a first down to save his life is an athlete because he can fling the ball 50 yards for a touchdown.
I’ll probably never be able to bench 300 pounds, run a sub 4:00 mile, or jump 40 inches, but I still consider myself an athlete. The problem I have with the term athelte is we’re lumping a 6′8” 350 lbs lineman and a 5′8” 150 lbs runner together.

Another factor in the definition of athlete, or athletic movement, is age. 40 years old in basketball, football, or baseball is considered old and over the hill while in golf we put them in the ‘Senior Tour’. If you go to any local running events you’ll find the over 40 categories some of the most competitive at the event. I read about marathoners in their 90’s all the time and just pray that I can walk at that age. I think it’s a disservice to the ‘Masters’ division of sports to say they are not an athlete like a 20 year old.

If it’s not fair to say over 40 can’t be an athlete, it’s not fair to say someone overweight can’t be an athlete, and it’s not fair to say someone who can’t run isn’t an athlete then what is the true politically correct definition of an athlete? Age, flexibility, and VO2 Max are only factors in the degree of athlete you can become. The gray area has become too dark and I believe it’s time someone clear things up.

No related posts.

Does Anyone Care About Boxing Anymore?

Jesse Liebman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:47:24 +0000

This weekend Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will square off against each other for the World Welterweight Championship. For Filipinos and Puerto Ricans this fight is about country pride and bragging rights. For general boxing fans it could be an absolute war. But for the general sports world does it mean anything?

Growing up, every weekend I would go down and spend the weekend with my Grandparents. My Grandfather is a huge boxing fan and as a result I would stay up and watch Friday Night Fights, HBO’s Boxing After Dark, and any other fight that was on during the weekend. I’m a boxing fan thanks to my Grandfather, but also because I can appreciate the training, skill, and intestinal fortitude it takes to box the hell out of another person.

At the same time I took Karate until Basketball and Soccer became my sporting passion. My favorite thing to do in Karate was spar. I remember the internal Dojo competition we had when I had to go up against one of the girls. I gave her a roundhouse kick to the head, knocking her down, and thus disqualifying me with a flurry of tears. My one and only big competition I did was the Rose City Nationals in Portland Oregon. All three-foot 50 pounds of me dripping wet entered my favorite event, sparring. My mother had to go buy me head gear and I had to borrow gloves and boots because I didn’t own any of the equipment. A few hours later I kicked and punched my way to winning the Peewee sparring championship.

1st Place in Sparring at the Rose City Nationals August 13, 1994

It’s still the main piece on my athletic award box shelf in my room, yet I’ve never had the desire to get back into it.

I’ve watched the UFC and MMA before and it flat out doesn’t interest me. Honestly, I find the majority of MMA fights boring to pieces while the lucky few are over in less than a minute. Yet for whatever reason, maybe it’s simply marketing, Dana White has made UFC relevant and boxing less relevant with each passing year.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., in my opinion, is one of the greatest athletes in the world. He is pound for pound the best boxer in the world, yet MMA fans probably have no idea who he is. Last time I checked, Boxing is an Olympic sport and MMA is not. Boxers can make ten times the amount of money an MMA fighter can make. Boxing is the essence of survival.

Without any studies, or scientific evidence to back up my conclusions, I’m left simply to believe that it’s a generational thing. Earlier generations like simplicity, challenges, and delayed gratification. Later generations like multitasking, anything that makes life easier, and they want everything instantly. Now I can’t say I’m not a fan of innovation and I do appreciate the resources technological advancements have given us, but I have an old school mentality for the fact I appreciate the journey as much as the result. While I may want everything now I understand that time matures wine and people. Which is also why I believe that boxing is dying and MMA is florishing.

Boxing can go for 12 rounds, in Championship fights, while MMA is only five rounds. Boxing has a southpaw or righty, while MMA has potentially 12 different styles. Boxing is about tactfully knocking out your opponent, while MMA is about knocking your opponent into oblivion as fast as possible.

It saddens me to see Boxing slowly dying, but just like the Gameboy all good things eventually come to an end.

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What The Internet Can’t Replicate From TV

Jesse Liebman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:10:45 +0000

Internet advertising is quickly becoming the method of choice to market your business and products. The Interactive Advertising Bureau reported in March that Internet advertising grew by 10% over the past year, making it the third largest ad media category behind TV and newspapers. The tough economy caused a slight drop in ad revenues, but Internet ad revenue was still $10.9 Billion for the first half of 2009. Internet advertising is without a doubt the most measurable form of advertisement to date. However, I still don’t believe it can elicit the same emotional ties to a product or company that TV advertisement can. Why isn’t Internet advertising and TV advertising being combined more often to garner the best results possible?

To start, lets do an exercise by listening to a song and describing the emotions it evokes. We will use the theme of Peter from Peter and the Wolf.

What emotions does this music evoke for you? How about when we combine the music with a product? Yes, Coca-Cola took the same music from one of my favorite childhood movies and used it in one of their Superbowl TV commercials this past year.

Banner ads, image ads, and SEO cannot replicate what Coca-Cola did on TV. They may help a searcher find Coca-Cola’s website easier, but they don’t have the ability to cause the same degree of emotional reaction that TV dose.

I think logical smart people can all agree on these points. My question to these same people is then why isn’t Google TV ads, Rich Media, or Digital Video online advertisement going through the roof?

	FH 2009	FH 2008
Search	47% ($5,148)	44% ($5,064)
Display Related:	34% ($3,759)	33%($3,799)
-Banner Ads	22%($2,394)	21%($2,418)
-Rich Media	7% ($704)	7%($806)
-Digital Video	4%($477)	3%($345))
-Sponsorship	2% ($184)	2% ($230)
Classifieds	10% ($1,116)	14% ($1,611)
Referrals/Lead Generation	7% ($728)	7% ($806)
E-mail	1% ($149)	2% ($230)

Source: www.iab.net

How can it be that online classified advertisement has seen the greatest source of growth over the past year out of all the different formats of online advertisement? I’m not an expert on media buying, but I do understand that the more interactive the advertisement the more costly it is. A black and white print ad is cheaper than a color print ad, and a text link is cheaper than an image link. That being said, why aren’t more people taking Google up on its offer to have video media displayed on various networks?

Cost will always be a deciding factor for how to market or advertise your products. That’s why large companies like Anheuser-Busch will dominate the TV waves while your local boutique shops can only afford an optimized website. ROI has always been challenging to prove for Radio, TV, and Print, but with the tools Google offers you don’t have that excuse anymore.

So what are the reasons Google TV or video advertisement haven’t blow up yet? When will we see emotionally ladened advertisement combine it’s powers and flex its power on the TV waves through Internet advertisement? If the Interactive Advertising Bureau numbers are any indication, it may be further out than many people think.

Top 5 Sites to Visit When Bored at Work

Jesse Liebman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:44:46 +0000

We all have time at work when things are moving a little slow. You might have a slow season, week, day, or maybe just an hour where there’s not much to do. Getting ahead on your work sometimes just isn’t an option. If we all worked eight hours a day, 100% dedicated to work, we’d eventually go insane. If you have access to a computer, or work from a computer, then the Internet is your gateway to remaining sane. I’ve composed my top five sites to visit when work is moving a little slow.

NOTE: Work productivity may increase with the use of one or more of these sites.

Craigslist

If you checked my Mother’s Internet history you would find Craigslist if the #1 visited site by a mile. While I’m not selling belongings, bartering services, or offering carpool rides I do find myself visiting Cragslist for my own personal entertainment. If you haven’t discovered Craigslist’s Best-of section you are missing out on a gold mind of material. These are posts that have been flagged by visitors that deserve to be recognized. An example would be a gem like this:

somewhere to PARK my CAR at NIGHT

Date: 2009-11-10, 9:08PM
my girlfriend and dog and I live in our car
we normally drive up into the forest every night to sleep
but its starting to cost us too much money to drive up there every night
and its colder up there
looking for a driveway in which to park my car at night
must be ok with me peeing in your yard (discreetly)

If you find similar posts please flag it for Craigslist Best-Of and pass it on to the rest of us. With everyone’s help we can filter through the garbage posts and find the real gems waiting for us in the Best-of section.

Stumbleupon

Stumbleupon is a social media tool that many people use as a tactical way to increase traffic to their website or linkbait creation. For the non-social media user it’s a great way to find the best websites on the web. Stumbleupon has a top rated page too, but I prefer to go on my own stumbling adventures.

A result from my own stumbling

You pick the criteria and categories of sites you want to stumble and the algorithm then takes control. Each site you visit you can rate with a thumbs up or down to enhance the results. After playing around the with site you should be optimized and ready for those long winter afternoons.

Twitter

I use Twitter for a multitude of reasons, but I’ve found it’s a great way to break up the day. If you’re looking for basic ways to use Twitter you can read my post on Twitter Strategy.

Who you follow really depends on what your interests are. I enjoy sports so I follow people like ESPN, Chad Ochocinco, Andy Roddick, Lance Armstrong, and John Daly just to name a few. I recommend getting an application like Tweetdeck, or Tweet-r for Mac users, and then going to Twellow to find people that fit your interests. You don’t need to have a Twitter account to view others tweets, but you do if you want to respond and interact with them.

The one Twitter user that I recommend everyone follow, for the purposes of spicing things up at work, is Shitmydadsays. A 29-year old male who lives with his 73-year old father tweets his daily conversations with his father.

“That woman was sexy…Out of your league? Son. Let women figure out why they won’t screw you, don’t do it for them.”

I’ve been trying to convince my mother that we should set up an account for the things she says on a daily basis, but so far she has been unwilling to cooperate.

Addicting Games

Addicting Games.com should be visited with the understanding that you will be on this site for a significant amount of time. The adage of, “I wont get addicted, I’m not a gamer,” is a bunch of Bologna. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 13-year old kid playing hooky from school or a VP of Business Development. If you go there you will play games.

The ‘What’s Hot‘ page is a great place to start or you can search via category. Addicting Games.com is great because it only uses one window, it doesn’t require you download any software, you can be playing games in a matter of seconds, and it’s completely discrete! With a simple close of the tab you can get back to work without your boss ever knowing you’ve spent the past 3 hours killing zombies.

Schadenfreude

The last category of sites to visit when you’re bored I’ve titled Schadenfreude. It’s a collection of four of my favorite sites that feature either photos or posts by people that will simply make you laugh.

Look at That Fucking Hipster – Maybe it’s because I live in Portland Oregon, but I’ve seen way too many people walking around downtown like this. This site is a collection of photos with individuals dressed as hipsters.

“Okay, seriously. Not funny. Who deflated my dog?”

F My Life – One of the first sites that I came across featuring people posting their own personal mis-happenings and having the general public vote on how bad your life really is.

Today, my first girlfriend of over 3 years left me for another guy. She said she’s looking for someone who can financially provide for her in the future. The dude owns a T-Mobile kiosk. I’m going to medical school. FML

People of Walmart – I could spend hours upon hours on this site looking at all the photos posted. It’s truly amazing what some people will wear to go out shopping.

Wow, nothing says “I know how to make friends” like a shirt that incorporates computers AND farting! Ohio

My Drunk Texts.com – This is a little bit of a knock-off of Fmylife.com, but it’s a little more situational. Who hasn’t sent a drunk text they wish they could go back in time and not send? Another great perk of the site is you can create merchandise with your favorite quote from the site on it. A great way to blackmail your buddy who sent you this:

(330): So, last night. You got into your closet, and shut the doors. And then you opened the doors, walked out, said you were in Narnia and that it was cold. You grabbed your coat and went back in..

If you have any sites that didn’t make the cut just send them in a comment and I’ll be sure to put them up.

Are You A Social Media Know It All?

Google Caffeine Coming To An Engine Near You

Jesse Liebman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:16:33 +0000

Mashable initially reported in August about Google’s secret new search project called Google Caffeine. Reports are now showing that Google has completed their testing period and will be releasing the project in the immediate future. Of course, like any Google project, it will be in beta and will be released incrementally to the public. So what does that mean for the average user of the Internet? Quite frankly, nothing that you’ll be able to notice.

Google Caffeine will not replace Google or force the company to change its logo. This is simply an advancement on the back-end of the search engine. The speed and relevancy of the search results will change drastically. Google is moving towards more real time search and making tweaks to its search algorithm. This means your search results will rely more heavily on the keywords you use. A greater index size will be another result of the changes Google is making. In layman’s terms that means there will be more results for every search which will hopefully lead to more accurate and relevant search results. I also predict that Google’s Social Search will eventually be integrated into the Google Caffeine algorithm in attempt to give users as much power and control over their results as possible.

These changes will have a profound effect on how SEO professionals go about trying to optimize their client’s websites. They will have to find new ways to exploit Google and its algorithm just like they had to do when MSN Live moved over to Bing. In the end, Google Caffeine will move closer to Google’s ultimate goal of providing the best search results possible for any and every user.

UPDATE: Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s webspam team, has reported the full Google Caffeine will roll out after the holidays.

Referees Support The Cause With Uniforms

Jesse Liebman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:59:10 +0000

Referees are criticized on a game to game basis, but one thing is clear, you cannot criticize the support they have shown of late. For every uniform that’s updated with poor taste (i.e. NFL Referees uniforms) an alteration is made in support of a cause (i.e. Pac-10 Referees prostate cancer support sleeve). There are several websites on the net that look at uniforms like the uniform obsessive Paul Lukas, but I haven’t found anyone examining exclusively what the referees are wearing. Below is a look at some of the referee uniform alterations should have been kept off the field along with the alterations that should be applauded.

NFL Referee Uniforms

I realize that we’re paying tribute to the old AFL Referees, but some things were better left in the past. As if the NFL Referees don’t have a hard enough time convincing coaches, players. and fans their credible. The new orange on white NFL Referee uniforms make me cringe every time I see them.

Enough with the bad. Lets take a look at some of the causes referees are supporting with their uniforms.

Pac-10 Referees Support Prostate Cancer Awareness

Yes that blue shooter sleeve that the Pac-10 Referees wore this weekend was to show their support for prostate cancer awareness. This was done exclusively by the Pac-10 this weekend and was worn by the crews on all five of the Pac-10 conference games this Saturday.

Women’s Basketball Referees Support Breast Cancer Awareness

Those pink whistles being worn by Women’s Basketball Referees is to show their support for breast cancer awareness.

MLB Umpires Support Breast Cancer Awareness Too

Just like the Women’s Basketball Referees wearing their pink whistles, MLB Umpires have worn the pink wristbands for breast cancer awareness and also for Mother’s Day.

MLB Umpires Support Fathers on Fathers Day

Initially I thought the blue wristbands were worn to show support for prostate cancer also, or maybe Viagra was a sponsor for a day. Instead the blue wristbands were worn by MLB Umpires in support of Father’s Day.

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Richest Day in Betting – The 2009 Breeders Cup

Jesse Liebman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:30:40 +0000

The betting world will hold its breath for two minutes or less eight times as horse racing enthusiasts celebrate the World Championships today, The 2009 Breeders’ Cup. $17 million in purse money will be given out to the winners on the dirt and turf. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the granddaddy of them all pitting the notable Mine That Bird, Colonel John, and Summer Bird against a field of thirteen, with current 5/2 favorite Zenyatta, competing for the $5 million purse.

As reported back in May, the 2009 Kentucky Derby utilized social media to bring exclusive coverage to the horse racing world. The Breeders’ Cup is no different featuring a Facebook Page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel. Of course there is a slew of bloggers on site to bring you the inside scoop including one of my favorites ESPN’s Randy Moss. Make sure you sign up for the Daily Racing Form’s free membership to get all the news and information you need to be in the winnings.

The fun starts at 1:30 PM ET on ABC before moving over for the big races on ESPN at 3:30 PM ET. So get out your racing form and start making your picks. The 2009 Breeders’ Cup is sure to be another wild ride.

Google: Can You Tell Me How to Get To Sesame Street?

Jesse Liebman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:21:42 +0000

For 40 years Sesame Street has brought learning and joy to children around the world. Google, the king of search land, has taken this week to pay their homage to Sesame Street dedicating their logo to the 40th year anniversary. It’s obvious that someone at Google has the same fond childhood memories of the PBS show as a kid.

That’s right, I’m old enough to say I remember Cookie Monster when he actually ate cookies. While I applaud PBS for taking a stand and attempting to sway the toddlers of America to be active, I can’t see the correlation between Cookie Monster eating cookies or sugar snap peas. Veggie monster should have to go hang out on Veggie Tales. Then we’ll all see how cheery and happy that tomato and cucumber really are. I’m just thankful that Google’s logo, displayed below, isn’t filled with carrot and celery sticks.

There’s been several attempts to create the same magic and replicate the cultural phenomenon that Sesame Street has become. My personal favorite is Avenue Q, the Tony award winning musical. The adult themed parody transposes Sesame Street’s Bert & Ernie (Rod & Nicky) and Cookie Monster (Trekkie Monster) into their twenties and thirties facing adult problems. The use of profanity on topics such as sex and drugs gives these lovable creatures a side to them you only daydreamed about. Singing songs like, ‘Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist ‘, presents topics with charm and a smile. Like every Sesame Street show the Broadway show has the central theme of trying to find your purpose.

In the end, nothing can replace the original charm and magic Sesame Street has brought for generations. When Google spruces up their logo, you know it’s an event worth celebrating! So make up the letter and number of the day to count and rhyme your way back to yesterday.

Google : The Blog Saviour

Value of SEO

Jesse Liebman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:41:06 +0000

E-marketer.com reported a few months ago that it expects Internet marketers to spend at least $26 million on SEO. Those who are unfamiliar with the benefits or skill set needed to perform SEO services may feel this number is severely inflated. Small businesses are engaging in annual contracts worth thousands of dollars in attempt to tap into the wave Google and searchers have created. Thinking about ways to shave some money off of your budget? After a thorough examination, of what it would take to bring SEO in house for your small business, I believe you’ll understand why a outsourcing your SEO is worth the money.

SEO is more than tags, keyword research, and link building. It’s a tactical entity that is improved through extensive training and experience. More than anything else, a significant amount of time and research is needed to reach the level of expertise needed to do your SEO internally. Lets examine some of the methods you could initially learn about SEO:

Search Engine Academy of Oregon – In Oregon we have an academy geared specifically towards teaching business professionals the tools they need to become a search engine marketer. They offer a 2-day essentials class, 3-day advanced workshop, or a 5-day comprehensive workshop. These cost $895, $1,195, and $1,795 respectfully.

SEMPO Institute – The Search Engine Marketer’s Professional Organization offers six different classes ranging from $299 to $1,399 depending on the course material and if it’s an advanced level or not. They seek business professionals looking to learn about search engine marketing and provide for their company.

SEOmoz Pro – SEOmoz Pro offers tools, guides, and enables you to ask Rand Fiskin a set number of questions per month. Depending on the package you choose it could cost you $79, $129, or $229 per month. SEOmoz Pro is catered towards individuals who have some search engine marketing experience, but need additional tools to help them.

These are three extremely viable entities for learning the sheer basics. I’ve personally used SEOmoz Pro and can say from experience it is a great product. However, whether your taking a class or purchasing tools if you don’t have experience physically doing SEO you could find yourself in trouble. Through a class you’ll learn about the basics of SEO, that you could also learn from SEO for Dummies, but what you wont learn is how to compete against other businesses. You can do keyword research, set up your tags, submit a site map, and attempt to do link building, but all of your competitors are doing the same thing only they’re outsourcing the work.

Aside from the initial education of SEO tactics and techniques their is the continued education and trends you must know and understand. Most web design companies offer a SEO package that you can buy and bake into your site. This is always from a third party partner that is an expert and dedicated 100% to SEO. The techniques and tactics for SEO update too rapidly for a web design company to remain an expert on web design and the latest SEO tactics. Instead it’s easier for a web design company to partner with an SEO expert who can relay the latest techniques that should be incorporated into their design. Specialization allows for a better product than being versed in several different fields.

You can begin to see how much time would be needed for a marketing director or manager to become versed enough in SEO to prevent outsourcing. Constant blog reading, the testing of different techniques, and researching new opportunities for enhanced SEO are all components of seasoned SEO professional. The short influx of education a class will provide you is only the basics. Add in the time needed for the continued education and you’re talking about the need for a full-time internal team member just to ensure your website is properly optimized.

An entry level, maybe they just took a class or read SEO for dummies, search engine marketer would cost you $30-45K while a search engine marketer with three to five years of experience would cost you $50-75K annually. It makes more economic sense to find a freelancer or organization to do your SEO because you can get rates of $500 to several thousand a month depending on the contract scope and competition of your space. Most SEO campaigns take three months to show any results and SEO companies typically will ask for a six month or year long campaign contract. In the end, you’re saving yourself a substantial amount of money by outsourcing your SEO work.

Classes, tools, and substantial time are the components needed to train your marketing personnel to do your SEO internally. $30 – 75k annually is what it would cost to bring a full-time dedicated SEO member to your team. Save yourself the headaches and money and reap the benefits of outsourcing your SEO work. Your bottom line and website rankings will thank you later.