SEMPO Canada Updates

As a lot you know, dear fellow readers of the eMarketing 101 blog, for the last year or so I have been actively involved in the promotion of search marketing in Canada through the creation of SEMPO Canada: Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization in Canada. As I prepare the material for our attendance to the Massive Tech Show in Vancouver (BC) on April 01, 2008, which I invite you all to come, I was thinking it would be appropriate to share what SEMPO is and what we are doing to promote search in many countries, including our own. As such, I came across yesterday a good introduction and explanation of SEMPO made by Massimo Burgio, Chair of SEMPO Global, which SEMPO Canada is part of. He explains the advantages of becoming a member and how the organization evolved form the last 5 years. Quite interesting. Here it is:

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SEMPO Canada, the Canadian Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (www.sempo.ca), needs your input to help grow the awareness and use of search engine marketing services by Canadian companies and organizations.

To date only 60 companies in Canada have answered the SEMPO Survey on Search Marketing. We’re Canadian, we can do better than that!

Time is running out. We NEED your support to get an accurate and trustworthy sample size.

Please take the time to answer the following survey, now:
http://www.sempo.org/learning_center/research/sempo_research/sempo_2007_state/

Why is this survey so important?
Canadians do not get Search Engine Marketing! We need to know why. There is a lack of understanding of the benefits and value Search Engine Marketing offers. As a result SEMPO Canada, a non-profit division of SEMPO.org, has raised the funds to invest in identifying how Canadian companies view and use search engine optimization and marketing. An international study has been commissioned which is now cross-segmented to include and isolate results specifically from Canadians . The results of this survey will be published by SEMPO in a free report on the status of Search Marketing in Canada. We really need your help to increase the number of Canadian respondents in order to provide valuable feedback to the Canadian Search Marketing Industry as a whole.

Your participation counts more than you think.

If you are willing, we ask you to please blog about this survey. Feel free to use copy from this e-mail or from this blog post.

Lastly, please email people who you know in Canada personally to ask them to take the survey. We appreciate any help you can give us!

With your help, we are hoping to bring the sample size of Canadian respondents up to (at least) 100 in the last week of the survey. Deadline of the survey is February 1, 2008.

More on SEMPO Canada:
SEMPO Canada, the Canadian Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, is a non-profit association working to increase awareness and promote the value of Search Engine Marketing in Canada. This Working Group was founded in November 2006 by Ken Jurina and Alexandre Brabant and focuses on improving the growth, awareness and understanding of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in Canada, including best practices in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Link Building, and Pay Per Click Management, and how it uniquely pertains and is of relevance to Canadians worldwide across any sector, vertical or industry.

Your help means a lot to us in improving the growth of Search Marketing in Canada.

Thank you for your support,

Alexandre Brabant & Ken Jurina
Co-Chairs SEMPO Canada

Canadian Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization
www.SEMpo.ca
www.SEMpo.org

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I have been a strong supporter this year of the 4th Annual State of the Search Market Survey. In this role, I would really like if you could take a few minutes of your time and fill out the Survey, especially if your are Canadian. A special portion was created for Canadian advertisers this year and we will soon be able to report back on it and assess the state of the Search Marketing Market in Canada. Here are some great reasons why it’s worth 25 minutes of your time to complete the survey:

You could win a 8 Gb iPod Touch

You could win one free pass to a North American Search Engine Strategies (SES) Conference

You’ll be the first to receive the summarized results of North America’s most comprehensive snapshot of the search marketing industry

You need to let Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and the other major search players know your thoughts, observations, and concerns about where search is and where it’s going. We have heard directly from them and they all rely on this survey for information!

The survey is conducted by Radar Research, and all responses are kept strictly confidential. All results are aggregated and anonymized. The more people who complete the survey, the better the data we’ll be sharing with you.

Also, please pass along the invitation to any clients or friends who also use search as a marketing channel - this survey is not limited to SEMPO members.  If you have any questions about the survey, please contact . You can also reach Kevin Lee, SEMPO Director and Survey Team Lead () or Gordon Hotchkiss, SEMPO Chairperson () for more information about the Survey and how the data will be used.

Thanks for your support.

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As you might know, SEMPO Canada, the Canadian Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization is involved in the launch of SEMPO’s 4th annual State of Search Marketing Survey. Whether you are seasoned in SEM or still wet behind the ears, your input is valued and needed! Therefore, if you have been involved in the preparation and/or implementation of a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Plan in 2007 or if you know someone in your organization, we want to hear from you.

Please take a few minutes to answer the 4th Annual SEMPO Survey.

If you are not involved in Search Marketing, please forward to the appropriate Canadian people within your organization and network. Your help means a lot to us in improving the growth of Search Marketing in Canada. Feel free to blog about it and thanks for you collaboration!

More on SEMPO Canada:
SEMPO Canada is Canadian Non-Profit Professional Search Marketing Association working to increase awareness and promote the value of Search Engine Marketing in Canada. This Working Group was founded in November 2006 by Ken Jurina & Alexandre Brabant and focuses on improving the growth, awareness and understanding Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in Canada including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Link Building, Pay Per Click Management best practices in this new field of marketing and how it uniquely pertains and is of relevance to Canadians worldwide across any sector, vertical or industry.

Thank you so much for participating.

Alexandre Brabant & Ken Jurina
Co-Chairs SEMPO Canada
Canadian Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization

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SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, just launch a section on YouTube where they put all their videos from various sources. You will find videos there from many people sitting on the Board of Directors where they talk about SEMPO, SEMPO Institute, SEMPO Research & Marketing and all the other SEMPO committees. These are the leaders shaping the Search Engine Marketing industry worldwide and it is very inspiring to hear them speak about their respective responsibilities as part of SEMPO. I selected this one for your review, where SEMPO Director Dana Todd talks about SEMPO and the SEMPO Institute.

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It is with a lot of regret that SEMPO Canada announced last week that Nurun / Ant Interactive decided not to renew their SEMPO membership and therefore withdraw from all SEMPO-related activities involving the growth of Search Marketing in Canada. They simply stated that they were not getting enough of this relationship and this position was shared by every member of the Nurun / Ant Interactive team. In an industry that is in development, especially in Canada, I would like to take a moment to ask for your feedback on the nature of these relationships between SEMPO but especially the underlying expectations that business people may have in regards to SEMPO, SEMPO Canada and the Canadian Search Marketing Industry in general.

It is becoming a common understanding that the Canadian business community expects more out of this industry than they contribute to its growth. We are facing a scarcity of Search Marketing talent in Canada since very few schools, colleges or universities have a search engine marketing learning curriculum. The industry does not regenerate itself yet, which is why it is adequate to raise the question why we would see such a major icon in the Canadian web economy leaving our organization.

I have been working hard to launch and support SEMPO Canada in order to create an entity that anyone can call upon when they need support on Search Marketing and as such I would like to ask you for suggestions, criticism or any type of input that you may have so that we can fulfill your expectations in a way that would entice you to stay in and contribute. In the long run, everyone will benefit from it.

We are all in this together.

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It took a few rounds of iterations but we finally finished it. Ken Jurina and I completed a 5 Question article/interview that has just been published on Onedegree.ca. It presents our current and future initiatives to foster awareness and stimulate the growth of search marketing in Canada through our work with SEMPO Canada. Read about it here.

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Here we grow again. SEMPO Canada Working Group which I am a Co-Founder is pleased to announce a new member on the team. Linda Gharib from Microsoft Corp. is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group of experts and we are very pleased that her experience in Search Engine Marketing along with her strong relationships will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Linda as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Members area.

Linda Gharib is a Search Media Analyst at Microsoft Corp. based in New York. She partners with Canadian and Fortune 500 companies advertising on the MSN network, to optimize their search marketing campaigns, to improve ad relevancy, and to increase return on investment.

Before joining Microsoft, Linda was responsible for managing the marketing and investor relations functions at Kaplan Fox, a law firm specializing in securities and antitrust litigation. Linda developed integrated marketing strategies mainly targeting pension funds and institutional investors. Linda interned at the Legal Marketing Association and worked on marketing campaigns for the Direct Marketing Association.

Linda holds an MBA in Marketing from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and a BA in English & Media Studies from Hunter College.  She also studied Art in Italy and International Marketing in Switzerland.

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SEMPO Canada Working Group which I am a proud Co-Founder is pleased to announce a new member on the team. Ezra Silverton from 9th sphere based in Toronto (ON) is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group of experts and we believe his extensive experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) along with his leadership skills will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Ezra as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Members area.

Ezra Silverton works with small to multi-national companies making use of Internet marketing solutions to achieve client objectives. In 1997, he co-founded 9th sphere, now an award winning website solutions company in Toronto. Ezra has a degree in Business Commerce with a focus in marketing, a Qualified Google Advertising Professional and a Yahoo Ambassador. He also writes articles around Canadian website best practices on 9th sphere’s blog.

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I am working on something these days for SEMPO Canada for different interview formats that are coming. As I was making research about it, I came across a very interesting blog post interview done by Manoj Jasra from Enquiro.com. He interviewed Dana Todd, Member of SEMPO Board of Directors on the new SEMPO Institute.

Massimo Burgio & Dana Todd from SEMPO

The SEMPO Institute is an online distance learning program that allow you to learn every aspect of Search Marketing. Manoj asked a few questions to Dana such as:

* The SEMPO Institutes’ Target Market
* The Grading Scale of Courses
* Benefits of the SEMPO Institute courses
* The Advanced curriculum offered in March
* The strategies behind keeping the course content up to date
* How SEMPO plans on working with post secondary institutions

Listen to the full interview here. 

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As part of my involvement with SEMPO Canada Working Group, I am pleased to announce a new member on the team. Deborah Kilpatrick from DSide Marketing based in Montreal (QC) is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group of experts and we believe her experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) along with her leadership skills will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Deborah as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Founding Members.

Deborah Kilpatrick has over 5 years experience as a search marketer. After working for Montreal-based search engine, Mamma.com, Deborah opened her own consulting practice. dSide Marketing is a full service Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing firm helping clients around the world develop and execute successful online marketing strategies and optimization programs. 

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SEMPO Canada Working Group which I am a proud co-founder is pleased to announce a new member on the team. Darcy Foster from VKI Studios based in Vancouver (BC) is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group of experts and we believe his extensive experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) along with his leadership skills will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Darcy as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Founding Members.



Darcy Foster is the president and co-founder of VKI Studios. He has over eight years of search marketing experience. He has successfully helped clients grow their online businesses from the early days of AltaVista through to present, where he currently oversees multiple teams responsible for organic SEO, paid search, usability and web analytics. 

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As a lot of people know, I have been actively involved in the creation of SEMPO Canada working group with a few other leaders in Search Marketing in Canada such as Ken Jurina & Gord Hotchkiss. As part of this effort, we are always recruiting new SEMPO members to join the Canadian troops and continue the revolution of changing the face of marketing in Canada. As such, SEMPO Canada working group is pleased to announce a new member on the team. Brian Ussery from NuRun & Ant Interactive is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group and we believe his extensive experience in Search Engine Optimization along with his leadership skills will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Brian as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Founding Members area.

Brian Ussery is the SEO Technology Specialist at NuRun | Ant Farm Interactive. With 9 years of experience, he is responsible for solving high-end technical issues related to natural search, which encompass design, architecture, technology and branding. Brian also helps identify new state-of-the-art enabling technologies as well as web service applications on the Internet, and other platforms for nurun | ant farm interactive. Brian and his team work with the world’s most widely recognized brands, as well as some of the fastest growing medium-sized online companies.

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Since the last few months, I have been actively involved with SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, located at Sempo.org, and as part of this initiative, I am thrilled to announce the formation of SEMPO Canada and soon to be launched Sempo.ca. Here are some more about it:

SEMPO Canada is a SEMPO Working Group founded in November 2006 by Ken Jurina & Alexandre Brabant, which focuses on improving the growth, awareness and understanding Search Engine Marketing (SEM) including Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Link Building, Pay Per Click Management best practices in this new field of marketing and how it uniquely pertains and is of relevance to Canadians worldwide across any sector, vertical or industry. SEMPO stands for: Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization. SEMPO Canada will play the integral role of educating on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) through attendance of, exhibiting and presenting at numerous conferences, seminars and tradeshows throughout Canada. These events will be attended by SEMPO Canada Working Group members with the intention of recruiting further members to SEMPO as well as SEMPO Canada.

Since November 2006, SEMPO Canada members have made three educational presentations at the University of Alberta, represented SEMPO Canada at the Canadian Information Processing Society annual conference as well as Bar Camp in Vancouver, been interviewed on CBC Radio, and presented at the Government of Canada Business Link Centre to multiple Canadian cities via video conference. By Feb 01/07, SEMPO Canada intends on having a modest website, Sempo.ca complete with blog (consistent with the brand of sempo.org), grow membership to 12 members, and present at additional educational institutions and seminars.

In early 2007 SEMPO Canada looks to promote SEMPO and the SEMPO Canada Working Group through the involvement specifically
with the Toronto Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference where SEMPO Canada intends on exhibiting at a manned booth, presenting on panels and co-sponsoring a wine and cheese event with support from corporate sponsors and SEMPO.org.

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Today, I will give you a little background on how Sempo.ca came to life.

After 2 consecutive years attending the SEMPO Global Committee General meeting during Search Engine Strategies in San José , I was somewhat disappointed to notice that they were few initiatives or committees within SEMPO, the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, to promote Search Marketing in Canada. As the ONLY Canadian present in that room that day, and I know who the Search Marketing leaders are in Canada, I could not believe that I would not meet either Andrew Goodman, Jim Hedger, Gord Hotchkiss, Ken Jurina or any other that I have learn from over the years in the multitude of sessions during SES & countless articles & blogs. I was MAD.I am not exactly sure what arises when someone gets this mad but usually something noticeable happens. And I am glad it did. Of course I started to ask some questions about where my mentors were and then I thought, maybe they are already too busy to get involve in this, so I have to start beating the drum and bring this to their attention. Thankfully, they listened.

After the SEMPO meeting, we head out to have a few more drinks, despite the fact that it was already late & I chat some more with Dana Todd about joining SEMPO & working at it. I felt inspired like I have never been and thrilled to realize that we share the same vision and the fierce determination to bring this forward. I am now part of the team, even more so than the organization that I belong to, that brought Search to life since its infancy, 10 years ago. For their accomplishment so far, I am extremely greatful to the founders of SEMPO and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Without them, I would not be here holding the flame and pass it on to you, fellow Canadians. That being said, SEMPO Canada will do everything it can to bring Search Marketing best practices in your business so that you can pass it on to others.

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