Brandon Hall Group Study Finds Combining Social Media and SEM Drives Brand Awareness and Relevancy

May 19, 2011 - PRLog -- The integration of social media strategies and search engine marketing is clearly on the rise, according to a recently released white paper by the Brandon Hall Group.

The reported findings are the result of an independent research study conducted by Brandon Hall of a cross-section of marketing executives nationwide.  The study was done with support from Covario, Inc., a leading provider of global search marketing services and solutions.

Among the key findings for companies employing social media for more than one year:

•   50% of companies integrating social media and search engine marketing realized a 25% - 100% improvement in page ranking, click-through and conversion rates

•   60% of companies were using social media marketing to drive promotions and enhance customer service efforts

•   80% of companies were using social media marketing to support brand reputation management efforts

•   77% of companies from the same group reported that social media overall will play a major/critical role in their marketing strategy in the coming year

•   47% of companies stated that paid social media efforts will play a major/critical role in their market strategy

“We saw a significant increase in benefits to integrating social media and SEM for companies that pragmatically built their efforts over time,” said Michael Rochelle, chief consultant and analyst for Brandon Hall Group.  “While there is a maturity curve for these companies, the realization of, or improvements in, brand awareness and revenue opportunities is evident.  Key considerations were the budget and the headcount devoted to these efforts.  Social media may be relatively new, but its impact in helping companies meet and exceed their marketing goals is already taking shape.”

“We commissioned this study to help marketers obtain an understanding of how far the integration of social media strategies and search marketing has progressed in the last couple of years,” said Covario CMO Craig Macdonald.   “The study showed that those advertisers who have been integrating social media for at least one year or more are doing so with increased degrees of sophistication, resource allocation and success.”

A complementary white paper detailing the study results is available from both Brandon Hall and Covario.  It can be downloaded at https://www.covario.com/our-perspective/documents-and-res... . In addition, a recording a webinar about the study, featuring representatives from Brandon Hall, Covario and its client Intel, is available at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/277281286.

About Brandon Hall Group: Having worked with more than 5,000 clients globally and after 17 years of delivering world-class solutions, Brandon Hall Group is the preeminent research and analyst organization focused on developing research-driven solutions to drive organizational performance for emerging and large organizations. Through the recent merger of Brandon Hall Research and AC Growth, Brandon Hall Group has an extensive repository of thought leadership, research, data and expertise in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Sales, Marketing, and Executive Management. For more information about Brandon Hall Group, contact Mike Cooke: (561) 865-5017 or mike.cooke@brandonhall.com, http://www.brandon-hall.com.  

About Covario, Inc.: Covario, Inc. is among the nation’s largest independent SEM (search engine marketing) and SEO (search engine optimization) solutions providers, offering SaaS-based software and digital agency services for paid and organic search management. Covario provides global organizations with robust solutions for paid search advertising, organic search, social media, display advertising and cross-media attribution analysis. Covario helps companies manage their brand integrity; ensure budget transparency; and deliver quantifiable results across business units, distribution channels and languages.  Headquartered in San Diego, the company’s growing customer base includes some of the world’s best known brands in technology, consumer electronics, retail, ecommerce, financial services, media, entertainment, publishing and consumer packaged goods. More information about Covario is available by calling 858.397.1500 or online at http://www.covario.com.