| Search engine marketing (SEM) promotes a website | | | | more affordable for small and medium size business to |
| on Google, Yahoo and other search engines through | | | | promote their products and services within their |
| various methods such as organic search marketing, | | | | marketing budget. |
| paid placement, and contextual advertising. When a | | | | Social Media Marketingo Social media enables direct |
| product or service of the website is searched, organic | | | | communication between the companies and |
| search marketing enables the site to appear in the first | | | | customers about the product or services.o It is a great |
| search engine results page increasing its visibility. Paid | | | | tool to know the customer opinions and feedback, and |
| placement enables the website to be listed in the | | | | to stay connected with the customers.o In social |
| sponsored listings typically found on or adjacent to the | | | | media, it is very easy to get a negative brand image. |
| organic search results (e.g. Google's Sponsored links). | | | | For instance, a person who had bad experience with a |
| Paid placement is also called pay-per-click, as the | | | | product can express his opinion in a negative tone. This |
| advertiser will be charged when the link is clicked. | | | | destroys any positive image of that brand or product |
| Contextual advertising places text advertisements on | | | | that can spread virally in no time.o The biggest |
| the websites having same content theme as the | | | | drawback of social media marketing is, social media is |
| advertiser (e.g. Google's AdSense). | | | | primarily used for communication and not for shopping |
| Social media enables interaction among two or more | | | | or advertisements, which distracts the user's |
| people known to each other directly or indirectly by | | | | experience. Therefore, to influence the customer to |
| sharing views and thoughts on a topic of common | | | | buy may not workout in most cases in social media |
| interest. Social media includes websites and portals | | | | marketing.o It may not be as useful as SEM for small |
| such as YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Twitter and | | | | and upcoming brands, as the bigger and popular |
| Flicker etc. Social media marketing uses social | | | | brands dominate the content.o The possibility of |
| networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other | | | | conversion rate is least in social media marketing. |
| online collaborative media for marketing, sales, public | | | | A study done by GFK Roper for 'Citibank's Small |
| relations, and customer service. | | | | Business Segment' reveals that small businesses |
| Search Engine Marketingo Customers search for a | | | | choose search marketing over social media marketing. |
| product or service in a search engine when they are | | | | More than 76% small business owners did not find |
| interested in it. Based on the search phrase they type | | | | social media to be helpful for their business to |
| in the search engines, a marketer can know the | | | | generate leads and expand their businesses. 86% of |
| intention of the customer. This helps in identifying | | | | business owners have not used social networking |
| relevant keywords.o When a user searches for a | | | | sites for their business advertising or for any other |
| particular product, service or any information, search | | | | information. |
| engines returns most relevant webpages to the | | | | Social network advertising after a strong growth in |
| search query on the top of the search engine results | | | | 2008 of 33% is expected to show a negative growth |
| page (SERP). Typically, the relevancy of the webpage | | | | of 3% in 2009. In the next 2 years it is expected to |
| to the search query decreases as we scroll down to | | | | grow at a slower pace at 13.2% and then at a lower |
| the last results. Therefore, user focuses on the top | | | | 8.2% in 2011, according to eMarketer. On the other |
| webpages that comes in first search engine results | | | | hand, Search revenue accounted for 47 percent of |
| page.o Website owners can promote their products or | | | | 2009 second-quarter Internet advertising revenues, up |
| services by getting listed in the search results through | | | | from the 44 percent reported in the second quarter of |
| the Search Engine Optimization campaign. A | | | | 2008. |
| professional SEO company can enable first page | | | | Marketers of large organizations, which have already |
| rankings for the website increasing the chances of a | | | | established a brand image are using social media. Small |
| click.o Advertisers can also opt for pay-per-click ads | | | | business owners rely less on social media for |
| on search engines to promote their site.o SEM is | | | | marketing. Even for getting business advice or |
| measurable accurately. A website can measure the | | | | information, they are not using social media, instead |
| sales from a search keyword, which is very effective | | | | around 61% of the respondents say they rely on |
| in tracking ROI on each and every phrase.o SEM is | | | | search-engine sites. |