Several marketing companies are internally divided by specialties. In today’s web-based world, many are segmented by fields such as web development, design, research and copy writing for example. This holds true in both agency and in-house environments. Due to such great diversities, these disciplines don’t always mix perfectly, but are often a necessity to get the job done. When it comes to SEM however, the talents and skills needed to effectively perform certain processes may not be as unique as one assumes. The professional who excels at search engine marketing can often handle SEO and PPC simultaneously without passing one of these tasks off to another party and disrupting the team.
When Specialties Get in the Way
Many larger enterprises establish specialized roles for their SEM team with the belief that it creates advantages and efficiencies for the organization. While such methods have been effective in numerous industries and more traditional marketing schemes, applying them to the world of internet marketing is an entirely different story. Today’s economy has seen the specialized teams of both interactive and traditional full service agencies fighting over budgets and seemingly trying to justify their sole existence. It is very uncommon for such an environment to be able lead these teams towards one common goal. This is especially truly in an ailing economic climate where layoffs have essentially become a regular occurrence. Even with specialties teams that are focused with the company’s best interest in mind, the extra layer of communication that is required could actually get in the way and render management ineffective.
The Pride of Experts
There is an old saying that states when you have too many cooks in the kitchen, somebody just might get burned. In regard to an SEM campaign, this could be the case with a company’s SEO or PPC specialists. Although both offer exceptional value, SEO experts tend to look down on PPC professionals and vice versa. When someone learns and becomes comfortable with a particular method of SEM, they generally become set in there ways and close minded to the suggestion of others. Unfortunately, that lack of understanding with such vital components could drastically hinder the performance of company’s marketing campaign. For instance, a team member who specializes in SEO might conclude that a certain keyword is too competitive to obtain quality rankings, but lacks the knowledge or support to get around the problem. Likewise, a PPC expert might determine that a specific keyword is to costly to target, but refuses to get the insight he or she needs from the SEO specialist. When it comes to SEM in the specialized setting, the overall success of a campaign largely depends on upper management’s ability to facilitate proper strategy, communication and collaboration.
In order to integrate the elements of SEO and PPC in seamless fashion, a company must have a clear understanding of how all SEM tactics and strategies fit into the overall marketing mix. If your SEM team is not thoroughly cross-trained and willingly to communicate with each, the efforts of your campaign just might come up short and result in nothing but utter frustration.
