After the Fact.

Last time I blogged about the Yahoo! Search Marketing Workshop I attended and how it mainly helped solidify what I've already experienced with PPC campaigns and search engines.

I must admit that all the hype over MarketingSherpa.com got me to investigate once again. Something I had neglected to do in the past weeks of building and launching ContentWorth.com was read up on its site, among a few others. MarketingSherpa has published its 2006 Case Studies. What can I say? I'm LOVE case studies.

I think studies like these open up new avenues of thought for SEM, SEO and other marketers just from the shear fact that we can learn from others mistakes and accomplishments. Plus I always enjoyed case studies in college, though those were usually a little more cultural and a little less search engine focused.

My favorite part of the case studies is seeing others' results from things I have tried myself or have thought of trying. Some clients are more open to new techniques than others, often the time crunch regulates what can and cannot be successfully accomplished. Case studies are one way of laying the groundwork for future search engine marketing projects while also refining current ones.

Although there are only so many hours in the day and clients come first with their PPC and SEO campaigns to optimize, their content to generate, and their inbound links to secure there should be some time set aside to look over things like these case studies. Sure, tried and true methods work, you've tried them and you've seen the results. But wouldn't it be better to arm yourself with other ideas as well? Knowledge sets you apart, that's one reason I find these things so appealing. Have you ever worried about hiring someone with too much knowledge of the market? Didn't think so.

Kristen Owen
President
Blog@ContentWorth.com