However, the industry has changed over the years, and it’s time for SEMpdx to evolve with marketing. Now that digital has integrated into traditional marketing disciplines, our member and sponsor needs have changed. COVID and AI have further altered consumer behavior and how they use digital channels. The remote workforce has increased the need to reach beyond Greater Portland. MarTech has evolved as have media and advertising with it. Events have changed as well, creating greater challenges for trade organizations to create financially-viable conferences.

To address the changing industry, the SEMpdx board has unanimously voted to merge with NextNW, a creative industry association with an international footprint across the Pacific Northwest into Canada. Our new mission is to further elevate and integrate digital into all aspects of marketing, including creative and advertising. With a membership of over 500 marketing professionals across five States and two Provinces, our resources are considerably greater.

We’re excited to integrate SEMpdx’s members and sponsors into NextNW, effective immediately. All SEMpdx memberships will automatically transfer over to NextNW through December 2025. We plan to migrate our infamous digital marketing blog to NextNW in the coming months as well. Our key sponsors, Forix and Data Speaks will also carry over to NextNW. And most importantly, we will maintain a focus on developing digital marketers with excellent programming, starting with a February webinar with Rand Fishkin. We will also continue sending our monthly email newsletter, although the frequency may change.

Stay tuned for further communications as we merge the two organizations in 2025. We value your membership and support and look forward to bigger and better programming, events and networking opportunities in 2025.

The post SEMpdx + NextNW = Greater Opportunities Ahead appeared first on SEMpdx.

This is not a joke. Our April Member of the Month is Danielle Hickey-Duhon! Danielle is an Account Manager at Obility, an agency providing B2B demand generation and inbound marketing services in Portland, OR. In order to get to know her better, we asked her all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Danielle Hickey-Duhon

Area(s) of Expertise
“Analytics, SEO, Social Media”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“Digital Marketing helps businesses of all kinds reach people searching for solutions who would otherwise spend more time researching and less time investing in their customers.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“Be open to all opportunities and possibilities. Do not pigeon hole yourself into one track early in your career.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?

“Good people and fun events!”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“Brent Csutoras was great! His presentation was entertaining and provided good tips on how to use content in social.”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“That’s a tough one, there are so many knowledgeable people I want to learn from.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Architectural Photographer.”

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Pinot Noir.”

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“I am a board member at the Architectural Heritage Center. For anyone interested in preservation, community advocacy or likes to visits museums, this is a great organization to check out! We have regular education programs about Portland architecture and our neighborhoods where I always learn something new about Portland.”

Thanks, Danielle!

Make sure to seek out Danielle at the next SEMpdx event and congratulate her on her status of Member of the Month!

The post Danielle Hickey-Duhon – April 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

February is here and we have a new crush, Nick Footer. Nick is the President & Founder of Intuitive Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Portland, OR that specializes in SEO, PPC, Web Design, and Social Media. In order to get to know him better, we asked him all the important questions and are sharing them with you.

About Nick Footer

Area(s) of Expertise
“Analytics, PPC, SEO”

What do you like most about Digital Marketing and why?
“With the recent improvements in paid social ad platforms, I like the ability to creatively target people who fit into our targeted personas in ways never possible with search alone.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is interested in your area(s) of expertise?

“No matter what you do, find something that gets you excited. Life is too short to do boring, unfulfilling work. For hiring, we look for students who have created their own websites, are engaged in social media, and have taken the time to get their Google certifications.”

SEMpdx

Why are you a member of SEMpdx?

“Love the regular events and Engage conference. It helps me stay connected with smart local digital marketing folks and friends.”

Who has been your favorite SEMpdx monthly event speaker and why?
“David Mihm has been a presenter a few times and I’ve really enjoyed his local SEO talks. I always come out of them with a handful of new ideas to test for our partners.”

Have you been to Engage (formerly SearchFest) and how many have you attended?
“I’ve been to the last 5 SearchFest conferences and have my ticket for 2017. Can’t wait!”

If you could hear anyone speak at an event, who would it be and why?
“Richard E. Boyatzis – Author of Resonant Leadership my favorite all time business books for anyone in a leadership role.”

Randomness

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now (marketer, developer, etc), what would you do?
“Probably run a coffee roasting company. Maybe something like: starshipcoffee.com as they have a killer brand and yummy coffees. “

Favorite Beverage and why?
“Coffee as it gives me a burst of caffeine and keeps me moving throughout the day. “

To Bacon or Not to Bacon?
“YES!”

Anything else you want the SEMpdx community to know about you?
“We are always looking to speak with other agencies and people who might want to work with us in the future. I love learning about other people and companies to find creative ways to do digital better for our partners in the future.”

Thanks, Nick!

Make sure to congratulate Nick on his status of Member of the Month at our next event and Engage!

The post Nick Footer – February 2017 Member of the Month appeared first on SEMpdx.

14.          2014 is approaching in 14 days, buy your ticket now before the price goes up.

13.          SearchFest is about a quarter of the cost of comparable conferences. As a not-for-profit organization, SEMpdx is all about reaching as many marketers and business owners as we can, and for that reason we’re able to keep SearchFest ticket prices low. Who said 13 was unlucky?

12.          Members get to attend a Members Only reception the night before SearchFest with our speakers. Join now and get the member price and attend the reception on 2/27/14.

11.          31 top speakers from across the globe will converge on Portland to share their knowledge. Our top rated speakers from past SearchFests and some new faces as well.

10.          Yep, Marty will be back. He has his own session on Facebook advertising.

9.            First 500 registrants get a SWEET SEMpdx Scarf. They keep you warm and on the cutting edge of fashion. SFTID!

8.            2014 is our 8th year. We must be doing something right…right?

7.            SEMpdx always throws great parties and we have a Happy Hour and an After Party! Moz is sponsoring the Happy Hour again. Do you want to sponsor the After Party at Punch Bowl Social?

6.            Six sessions/keynotes throughout the day. Check out the agenda and speaker line-up.

5.            Breakfast is included…a real breakfast with BACON thanks to PSU’s Center for Executive and Professional Development.

4.            Four Tracks to choose from including Old School, New School, Social & PPC and a Deep Dive Track. See the full SearchFest agenda.

3.           Three levels of content, so there is something for everyone — beginners, intermediate and advanced! There are also ample networking opportunities throughout the day. Just ask our Afternoon Networking Sponsor ethology.

2.            Two Keynotes! Start your day with Joanna Lord and finish listening to SHOEMONEY!

1.            Prices go up in 2014! Happy New Year!

What are you waiting for? Register Now!

The post Top 14 Reasons to Buy Your 2014 SearchFest Tickets in 2013 appeared first on SEMpdx.

Duane began by calling out a mistake that too many search professionals make.  We often get caught up with details such as site index and meta tag updates.  In reality, though, content is still king.  Consider, for example, that MSN’s website contains roughly 140 billion pages globally.  The person performing a search online wants content; therefore the search engine wants content, too.  Make this your number one focus, followed by social, user experience, link building and SEO.

Much of Duane’s presentation was about social and its effect on overall search.  Social brings emotion to the mix, which has impacted search engines in big ways.  With the changing “web of objects”, www.schema.org is an increasingly important resource.  Similarly, social graphs and patterns are helpful visualization tools.

Throughout his presentation, Duane related everything back to four filters.  When building and optimizing a website, he emphasized the four major areas to invest in: quality, trust, popularity and timeliness.  Follow this and you’ll be well on your way to successful search results.

The post Members Only Appreciation Event 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.

The first piece of insider advice came from Anne Kennedy, Beyond Ink and Joblr, who discussed mobile marketing.  In an arena where every network provider has a different way of setting things up, it can be a daunting task to create and implement your strategy.  Kennedy pointed members where to look for help in achieving a competitive advantage through this wireless technology.

Many questions raised were related to social media.  Kent Lewis, of Anvil Media, gave his recommended sources for determining social media KPIs.  He went on to discuss Twitter and LinkedIn strategies, providing his own LinkedIn account as a case study.  When the proper time is invested, LinkedIn has the potential for becoming a company’s best lead generator.  Adam Audette, of AudetteMedia, shared ways search engines are adapting to social media and how we can optimize link equity.  He also offered successful blogging advice to complement your website.

Define Search Strategies’ Matthew Brown discussed effective ways to ensure integrated marketing in your campaigns.  Many companies lack consistent messaging when running an advertisement and miss out on countless conversions.  By aligning your traditional and digital media, campaign performance will thrive.

The evening ended with insightful suggestions for all search marketers in our ongoing efforts to improve and stay ahead of the curve.  If you’re not an SEMpdx member, join now and benefit year-round!

The post Members Appreciation Night – April SEMpdx Event Recap 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.

There are lots of great reasons to become SEMpdx members, great educational events and networking, discounts and many industry shows, even our membership directory that launches this month, but here are two great reasons to become members:

1. Here’s What Search Marketers Say:

“SEMpdx gives small businesses the insight and intelligence that they need to be competitive within the search engines. The tools, advice, and strategies shared within the SEMpdx community are valuable to new and seasoned Search Marketing professionals.” Scott Fish, EngineWorks

2. Here’s What the Business Community Says:

“We submitted our website, HitchSource.com, for the SearchFest Hot Seat review. While I was expecting a few suggestions to tweak our site, the results were beyond anything I expected. We increased our conversion rate with some simple usability tweaks and our traffic is up almost 200%. The panelists were thoughtful, insightful, and extremely knowledgeable. I highly recommend the Hot Seat to other webmasters and business owners. You won’t be disappointed.” Ken Whiteman, Hitchsource – Trailer Hitches and Hitch Bike Racks

To our members, thank you for your membership and commitment to SEMpdx. If you’re not yet a member check out our membership benefits or join us at our upcoming event Tuesday September 8th, Local Search with David Mihm. Hope to see you at an event soon.

The post Why Become an SEMpdx Member? appeared first on SEMpdx.