SearchFest 2015 was another resounding success thanks to all the great speakers, SEMpdx board, members and SearchFest attendees. The SEMpdx SearchFest team and Board of Director Membership Chair, Nathan Isaacs are hard at work taking lots of great video footage from the show to provide attendees and even non-attendees access to a SearchFest 2015 Video Bundle for the first time in our 9 year history of sponsoring the one day conference.

Here are 5 reasons to get the video bundle, whether or not you attended SearchFest:

1. You can’t be in four places at once! With four tracks focused on multiple disciplines of search, social, paid search and content ranging from fundamentals to expert-level you’ll want to attend more than just one track.
2. It may be the best marketing educational value around. Ranging from $49-$299 the video bundle costs less than many 2 hour workshops and it will be chock full of more than 24 hours of marketing brilliance by speakers who provide strategy for some of the world’s biggest and most successful brands.
3. Post-show video access keeps the learning going. It’s easy to go to conferences, learn, get inspired and then go back to the office and it’s business as usual. Use post-show video access to keep yourself and your team on track and make the connection between learning and execution. There’s no better way to illustrate the value of your conference experience than showing how you’re using strategies and tactics from presentations to execute in-house or with clients. Having video allows you and your team to recap learnings together.
4. Familiarize yourself with great digital marketing strategists. Whether your focus is search, social, content or analysis, SearchFest boasts the best speakers in the business that are hand-picked (we don’t accept pitches) for their excellence. It’s a great way to find the digital marketing practitioners you want to follow after the show. Rand Fishkin’s Moz blog publishes an aggregation of research and how-to guides for marketers of all levels. Rae Hoffman publishes a no-nonsense blog about technical, cutting edge search topics. Mat Siltala focuses on not just the searchability of content but the usability and design aspects of marketing assets. (You won’t be the first to note that, yes, he does look a bit like that guy on Duck Dynasty:)
5. Try something different. The video bundle gives you the opportunity to watch the video presentations of new-to-you thought leaders. Watch and judge who among this crowd will later be a keynote speaker at SearchFest or MozCon.

SearchFest 2015 session videos are now available to view online.  Purchase your SearchFest Video Bundle now.

(Note: Unfortunately the closing keynote will not be available for video purchase.)

The post 5 Reasons to Get the SearchFest Video Bundle appeared first on SEMpdx.

At SEMpdx, you’d expect us to recommend that you attend our annual SearchFest Marketing Conference on February 27th, but we also wanted to share why other smart marketers attend our show.

Here’s what Mike Corak, EVP of Strategy, Managing Director at ethology, has to say about SearchFest:

“I’ve attended and sent resources to a considerable number of search-related conferences in my time.  Quality and cost can vary significantly, making it difficult for managers to figure out where they might get the most return for their employee education dollars, and time out of the office. ethology continues to send multiple team members each year without hesitation, and that’s not changing anytime soon.  I can’t recommend SearchFest enough! “

Corak shared his top 5 list of why he believes there isn’t a better conference deal out there than SearchFest:

1. Investment: Costs are significantly more economical than other conferences.
2. Programming: Check out the speaker lineup – you’ll see many of the same speakers that you’ll find at larger, more expensive conferences. Further, the programming is well balanced, representing what matters most in search each year.
3. Portland, wow: Portland is a great city with lots of unique and affordable hotel, entertainment, and dining options
4. Attendees: The list of attendees gets more impressive each year, client and agency side
5. And the best part, the SEMpdx is a non-profit organization, and the more you support them, the more they can give back to you.

Here’s what consultant Richard Guerrero, President of Odin Technologies, has to say about SearchFest:

“As someone who deals with Direct Marketing companies for a living, SearchFest allows me to keep up to date with the ever changing direction in Social and Search. It gives me the competitive edge I need to help our clients grow.”

Non-members get your conference pass now for $525 and you’ll receive a full year membership as well as an invite to mingle with the speakers the night before SearchFest. Register by Wednesday February 4th and save!

Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more attendees.  Please email searchfest@sempdx.org to obtain a custom code.

Whether you’re an agency, consultant or in-house marketer you have lots of great reasons to kick off 2015 with digital marketing education to help you provide better service for your clients and deeper expertise for your team.

Register now to attend this premier conference with 30+ speakers and 18 sessions (including a keynote by Facebook!) to help you stay ahead of the competition.

Still not convinced, learn how Membership Chair Nathan Isaacs is leveraging member feedback to create and improve SEMpdx programs. 

The post Why Marketers Attend SearchFest appeared first on SEMpdx.

You share your website, your baby, the vehicle for your business hopes and dreams, the technological and marketing feat for which you are endlessly proud with a panel of marketing experts who proceed to tell you absolutely everything that’s wrong with it.

My very first experience with SEMpdx in 2007 was at a Hot Seat, I paid $125 and proceeded to get more than $2000 worth of very relevant and actionable advice. There’s not an extra charge to submit your site for the January 13th, 2015 SEMpdx event, but you do need to be a registered event attendee 

The site reviewed was Avery Print & Mail Center. I had been working with Avery since 1999 and the goal for this new site was to combine their printing products with printing technology to make postcard, business card and other marketing printing easier for their small to mid size business customers.  (They ultimately partnered with Modern Postcard to absorb that part of the business and as of 2013 were purchased by CCL Industries).

What I learned from the Hot Seat was enormously helpful and incredibly actionable. Here are just a few recommendations:

• Create a video sitemap. We had a lot of video and hadn’t created a proper video sitemap structure.
• Focus less on products and more on target segments and problem we were solving. We were trying to reach our SOHO (small office, home office), Hybrid Mom and Mid-Size business markets but content focus was around products.
• Refine our keywords to be focused more around our target markets, not just the high volume keywords around the products.
• Test having some of the downloadable templates on the home page since that was a popular call to action.
• Bonus: We were preparing for focus group research and the panel recommended testing images (turned out the people and product images outperformed the standard product-only hero shots).

Also what I learned that day was how important regional organizations are to professional development. I joined the organization as a member in 2008, became a Board Member and am now on the Advisory Board. It’s an amazing aggregation of smart, wonderful people and becoming a member has greatly impacted my professional growth.

As my SEMpdx Hot Seat Site Review illustrated, you won’t just get help around search but in lots of areas important to effective digital marketing. Panel speakers include Michael Cottam, Mike Arnesen, Scott Hendison and Kevin Getch.

Whether your area of expertise in marketing is paid media, technical SEO, local search, social, content or PR, you’ll learn something from the SEMpdx Hot Seat Site Review.

Submit your site to this great panel of experts. It’s hard be told where you’ve gone wrong with your website but remember we’re all in this together; learning, failing, testing and winning. Learn how SEMpdx can help. Sign up for our January 13, 2015 Hot Seat Site Reviews.

The post Why SEMpdx Hot Seats are So Hot appeared first on SEMpdx.

A member of our SEMpdx board, Michael Cottam, tragically lost his parents earlier this summer.  Michael and his sister Elizabeth have created a memoriam in honor of their parents Lola and Renae Cottam to rebuild the Myrtle Point Library.

Lola and Renae always said that if they won the lottery, they’d make sure the Myrtle Point Library got a much-needed rebuilding and expansion. They often took Michael’s son Benjamin, their only grandchild, to the library when he was visiting them.

MIchael wants his son Ben (whose first word was “book”) to see this library project as an example of how we can turn the bad and evil in this world upside down and create something amazing and permanent that helps their community.

When Michael joined SEMpdx 4 years ago he came to the Board with a passion to educate and give back to the community as a search marketer.

Michael has modeled selflessness and full immersion into giving back to his community. As a long-time Rotary Member he contributes to Rotary community projects. When he lost his wife to cancer he continued her work with the Children’s Cancer Association and brought that cause to our attention which we supported through our Charity of Choice program. In a continued show of dedication to community he is focusing his philanthropic effort towards a project to honor his parents in rebuilding the Myrtle Point Library.

Please join us in supporting Michael’s efforts in one or more of these ways:

1.     Donate to the #cottamlibraryfund (Go to https://npo.justgive.org/myrtlepointlibrary and choose the Renae and Lola Cottam Memorial Fund (under the “Program” section)
2.    Attend a Search Marketing event at one of these organizations in the month of September, proceeds for these events will be donated to the fund
a.    SEMpdx – The Future of Digital Search with Rand Fishkin
b.    SEMCLE+ – Local Search with David Mihm
c.    SLCSEM – Get your Geek on with Mel Carson (past event)
d.    SEMNE – Top 25 A/B Tests with Anne Holland
e.    DFWSEM – Search Marketing Vision with Brett Tabke and Joe Laratro
3.    Encourage your local Search Marketing Organization to participate in the #cottamlibraryfund in the month of September
4.   Promote events and the cause with #cottamlibraryfund

For more details or to include your organization in our effort to support the #cottamlibraryfund contact Lisa Williams at info@semcle.com or go to
https://www.facebook.com/LolaAndRenaeCottamRebuildALibrary
for more details about the fund.

The post SEMpdx, SEMCLE, SLCSEM, DFWSEM & SEMNE Band Together to Support Cottam Library Fund appeared first on SEMpdx.

6) Your feedback is important, this SEMPO Survey reveals a great deal about the industry and where it’s going. Your contribution is essential to gathering great data to share with you, our members and the industry.

5) Upon completion, you’ll be entered to win a new iPad.

4) Upon completion, if you belong to a Regional or Local Search Marketing Organization, just add your Organization name to the final page of the survey and be entered to win a pass to SMX Social Media Marketing in Las Vegas, December 5-6, 2012.

3) Upon completion, if you are from a business/company in Europe, Asia (or anywhere besides US) you’ll be entered to win an SES pass of your choosing for Hong Kong, Singapore, Toronto or London.

2) Once survey results are completed, you’ll receive a copy of the survey for free ($400 value).

1) Your business or agency can use the data to learn more about upcoming trends and other important information to help you guide your business plans.

Complete the SEMPO Survey today (April 6th last day), it just takes a couple of minutes. So what are you waiting for?

The post SEMpdx Members – Complete SEMPO Survey, Be Entered to Win Prizes appeared first on SEMpdx.

1. You get to put the cool logo on your site. 
2. You see educational event speakers on the national circuit in Portland.
3. You save money. Members (Early Bird) get to go to our monthly events for $20 ($43 for non-members, $55 at the door).
4. You save more money! Save 20% on SearchFest tickets (if you sign up by Jan 27th).
5. You get to profile your business in our new SEMpdx Membership Directory.
6. You get discounts to other regional and national conferences.
7. You get to network with a diverse group of people.  Our membership includes agencies, consultants, large companies and small businesses. Members include local CPA and Law firms to Columbia Sportswear, from PR firms and digital marketing agencies to analytics giant WebTrends.
8. You get to attend Members Only Events such as the SearchFest Pre-Party with the speakers and our May 8th Members Only Appreciation Event with Duane Forrester.
9. You get to hang out with the Pacific Northwest’s coolest search, social and digital marketing talent.

The post Top 9 Reasons to Become an SEMpdx Member appeared first on SEMpdx.

1) Tell us a little about yourself
I’m from South Dakota. I’ve been involved in many different business throughout my career. I owned a pheasant ranch. I worked in the in print industry for many years. Most recently, I was Vice President and CMO of Kodak. These days I’m speaking all over the globe, appearing on TV shows, I’ve written the best-selling book, “The Mirror Test” and am working on a second book. And I consult with a variety of great companies as well. I have two children, Tyler and Lindsey. I’m married to a great woman, Tami.

2) What’s the thing you’re most proud of from your time at Kodak?
We took a company that was selling a product that no one wanted–film–and we turned it around. What Kodak had to offer was about hearts and minds–we had the only product people would run into a burning building to save. We made memories. So we took a company that made film and turned it into a company that makes and preserves memories.

3) What prompted you to write your book, “The Mirror Test”?
I watched so many companies and business people fail. Heck, I’ve failed a time or two myself. And that’s when it became clear to me that anyone in business needs to ask the tough questions, know their conditions of satisfaction and be willing to create tension and drive change–all of that in order to grow and succeed. I felt this book was a message that everyone needed to hear.

4) What’s more fun, being a cowboy or hunting for pheasant?
Well I’m passionate about both, but ultimately the “cowboy” part is really who I am, and it impacts how I operate in business and in life.

5) If you could tell companies one thing about how to engage with their customers, what would you tell them?
With social media everything has changed. It’s not about ears and eyeballs anymore, it’s about hearts and minds. Companies need to be radically transparent, listen to their customers and deliver a relevant and timely message. If you don’t do these things, you won’t be fogging the mirror.

The post Jeffrey Hayzlett – Bird Hunter, Cowboy, Celebrity CMO appeared first on SEMpdx.

Here are our drawing winners:

SEMpdx 1 year Free Membership
Tom Berry, Marketing and Affiliate/Web Marketing Director, Pine Meadow Golf

SEMpdx Snuggies
Stacey Brown, President/CEO MindLink Resources
Alexa Meisler , Founder, 52PerfectDays.com

SEMpdx Mug
Ron Karsten, Director of Portland Campus DeVry University
Zach Schreckenberger, Apple

SEMpdx T-Shirt
Mike Wills, Internet Marketing Manager Netop Solutions

SEMpdx provided Site Reviews for attendees and we got a lot of great feedback:

“This was the best 20 minutes I’ve spend at the show,” said Tom Berry of Pine Meadow Golf

“Thank you so much for your feedback on my site. I so appreciate the marketing and technical expertise, it was really great!” said Alexa Meisler of 52PerfectDays.com

Thanks for attending and hope to see everyone at
Online Marketing Summit on June 16th

The post Big Fun, Big Prizes at InnoTech/eMarketing Summit appeared first on SEMpdx.

2.
You may learn something that can make you a lot of money. One of my clients came to SearchFest 2 years ago and made a single change to their URL structure and saw a 48% increase in revenue.

3.
Your admission price of $259 (between now and 3/8) includes 44 tracks/18 speakers of information that will help you improve your online presence AND you get breakfast/lunch & post show beer.

4.
Your competition may be going.

5.
Added Bonus: If you become a member of SEMpdx now and attend SearchFest March 9th 2010, you’ll get a full day of information from the countries best online marketers AND you can attend our Members ONLY “Ask the Experts” event on April 13th and ask the burning SEO/SEM questions you’ve been dying to ask the pros.

Register for SearchFest today!

The post Top 5 Reasons You Should Go to SearchFest If You Run Your Own Business appeared first on SEMpdx.

If you’re an SEMpdx member, believe in the power of search marketing and are looking to get more involved, join us (pre Social Media 6-Pack Event) tonight at 4:30 pm at the Hotel DeLuxe for our first ever Membership Committee Meeting.

Agenda:
*Review SEMpdx Mission Statement
“Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland is an organization based in Portland, Oregon whose mission is to inform and educate area businesses on the benefits of SEM to bottom line revenue.”

*Review current membership benefits and Marketing/Membership Plan

*Brainstorm ideas for recruiting and retaining current members

Not sure if you’re ready to make a commitment to a committee? Join us to meet some of your fellow members.

Not a member yet? Learn more about the benefits of membership and join SEMpdx now.

Have questions? Email Lisa Williams, Marketing/Membership chair at membership@sempdx.org

If you didn’t register for tonight’s SOLD OUT event, you may still attend the Membership Committee Meeting. Membership Committee Meetings will be held prior to our monthly educational events second Tuesday of every month at 4:30.

The post Inviting SEMpdx “Members Only” to Participate appeared first on SEMpdx.