(Hmm - maybe a good title does work)

The term Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a bit of a misnomer, since in most cases it involves both the Sales and Marketing function. If you don't know the difference you are not alone. I had a Marketing Director for a major software company tell me that there were VP's in her corporations that couldn't make distinction. The broadest definition of Marketing is everything a company does to make the public aware of their product. To that extent, SEM doesn't exist in a vacuum, it should (must) be part of an overall marketing plan. It is not the job of the Search Engine Marketer to define the marketing plan. This should (must) come from the client. The SEM campaign should carry the same message as the rest of the client's advertising. This will vary widely depending on type of marketing campaign being implemented. Marketing campaigns can be thought of as a continuum -- at one end of the scale are campaigns creating a new need or want; at the other, those selling a product that satisfy an existing need or want.

How are the campaigns different?  Consider designing an SEM campaign for bottled water in the mid 1990's. Relatively few people were searching for the term 'bottled water'. The campaign would be built around creating an artificial need by focusing on healthy living. Contrast this with a site selling housing. Search terms are fairly standard and competition for SERP is fierce.  The problem in this case is not to create a need, but rather to get a high SERP placement and to differentiate your client's site from those of their competitors.

How are they the same?  (Here is where gets Marketing tends to get a bad name.) Both water and shelter are considered basic needs in Maslow's pyramid of hierarchies of needs. Marketing attempts to move the item up the needs pyramid. While tap water will satisfy a basic physiological need, bottled water adds the need for safety. A small two bedroom apartment may meet the basic need for shelter, but a large three bedroom house in the suburbs brings esteem. Even selling items for the lowest price fits this model. The customer gets self esteem by a getting a 'good deal' on the product.

Getting the Sale.  Sales is getting someone to take an action. On a website this can be as simple as having someone download a brochure or as complicated as selling the client's product online. Most people hiring someone to provide SEM services are primarily interested in the results of the Sales function. As you move the visitor through the website, Marketing is replaced by Sales. While the Sales pitch may be on the landing page, this should only be done where there is no need to convince the visitor to take the required action (or you don't want them to think too hard on your proposal - “Buy this book to be an instant millionaire!“). This is the proverbial 'hard sell' approach. Most websites, however, require a transition allowing the visitor to justify taking action on your proposition, e.g., “Schools and a park are nearby,” “Our bottling process removes over 30 contaminants.”

While the landing page presents the Marketing message, other pages within the site give justification for taking the final action: the Sale. All SEM is a mix of the Sales and Marketing functions. The Marketing component is describing the client's product and establishing the need. The Sales component is convincing the visitor to take some action to satisfy that need.