Conquering the Great Internet Marketing Divide

People, there is a great divide in the Internet marketing world. There is a class struggle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. There is a disconnect between traditional models and the new PR.

And whoever can unite these worlds will rule the Web.

The bourgeoisie - traditional ad agencies - have the means of production. They offer established marketing models with long histories (at least in the off-line world). They have high-dollar clients accustomed to traditional marketing costs. THEIR clients jump at the chance to get that full page ad remnant buy in the back of that glossy power magazine for just $30,000.

The bourgeoisie, with high credibility set in old money ways, have the ears of the power players and brand builders.

Traditional agencies translate traditional marketing to the web:

• Banner Ads It's just like buying traditional media
• PPC Sponsored search - A little different, but much like buying traditional media
• Viral Promotions - Like an in-store promotion or event
• High-dollar online PR distribution - Just like traditional press release distribution

Then there is the proletariat - smaller search and online marketing agencies - that earn a living through wage labor using non-traditional tools. The proletariat is forced to find online marketing value through the esoteric new PR. THEIR clients are willing to pay up to $500 to be #1 in Google for terms like digital camera or dating (oh and anytime in next few days is fine).

New PR agencies use tools that are not taught in MBA programs (at least till recently):

• Natural search engine optimization - It's like, well, nothing in the off-line world
• Content networking/Social computing - Think word of mouth/grass roots marketing, with permanence and a world wide audience
• Online guerilla marketing - Like graffiti and post bills but more acceptable online
• Low-cost PR - Like articles in free newspapers

LevelTen has been fortunate enough to see how both sides live. Most of our services for clients are the new PR type. However, we have been involved in big dollar campaigns, usually through one of our large ad agency partners.

Despite the fact that we get thousands of people a day to our site and generate dozens of new client leads, few have the budget to really market properly. Thus we are forced to continually innovate and leverage our knowledge of the new PR to get solid results for clients all the while knowing if we had a larger budget we could achieve extraordinary returns.

For large campaigns we are usually responsible for executing a niche online component. These campaigns are usually run by large, established agencies that rarely require our input for the overall marketing mix strategy. Being the team player, we execute our part, all the while thinking silently:

• If the last 5% of the PPC search budget was used for optimization we could double the total search traffic.
• For the cost of just one of those TV commercials, we could develop a blog that would cut through the marketing noise and get the client really heard, differentiate them as a thought leader and tap into the social computing masses.
• Exciting the legions of user groups and social networks that big brand has spawned will generate more buzz, more cost effectively than a traditional press tour.
• If we fully leveraged that cool online promotion to build links and get online influencers talking it could generate scores of additional visitors a day for years to come.

The most effective way to market is to seize strategic opportunities across all channels. Small budget clients usually write-off more traditional mediums because they don't have the budget to compete with the big boys. High-dollar campaigns are typically blinded by tradition and either don't know about the new PR or think it is too “out of the box

We are always educating our big campaign partners to understand the dynamics and value of the new PR. We strive to show small budget clients that they can, if positioned properly, compete effectively with big brands.

Hopefully we can create a better marketing world devoid of business class struggles. We invision a world where all marketing channels are open to all who seek them. Where tradition is respected but innovation reigns. Where any client can put traditional marketing and the new PR side by side and say here me roar. (as in a very loud buzz)

Thank you.

(Now that I have possibly carried this metaphor a little to far, I will step off my digital soap box)