Will the credit crunch boost search marketing?

According to SEMPO-UK, search engine marketing is a more reliable advertising and marketing technique which explains the industry's phenomenal growth record and success of organisations such as Google. 

The group is running a study of UK businesses to see how many are actually planning to raise their search marketing activity as result of the credit crunch.

Paul Doleman from iCrossing, the SEMPO group Co-Chair, said: “Search engine marketing is sometimes referred to as 'performance marketing' and that is for the very sound reason that marketing expenditure becomes directly linked to performance.  In other words, if my advertising isn't working, it's also not costing me anything".

Adds group press secretary, Andy Atkins-Krűger of WebCertain: "Remember the saying 'half of my advertising is working, the trouble is I don't know which half?’.  Well we're aiming to update that to 'half of my advertising is working, the trouble is it's only the search half'".

Richard Gregory of Latitude group Co-Chair added: "Our perception, and the statistics we've all seen from clients, suggests that a disproportionate amount of business success stems from the search marketing activity - so whilst Andy's statement that half is working would be great if true, in reality search marketing expenditure is still well below half of the marketing budget, which we believe is not good for United Kingdom plc – especially in these highly challenging economic times."

Already, many UK leading companies have participated in the survey which remains open for the next four weeks until (date).  Currently respondents are favouring the credit crunch growth theory.  Respondents all receive a breakdown of the survey findings.  Part of the purpose of the survey is to raise the profile of search to marketers who are still - in their opinion - underspending relative to today's marketing best practice.

The survey can be taken at: http://semposurveys.com/