Timberline Interactive

I'm heading on the road next week to my first Internet conference in a while, the DMA's Catalog on the Road in Cambridge, MA. The reason for my absence on the conference tour has much to do with a 2-year old child. Unfortunately, playing virtual mom is more difficult than playing virtual marketing.

The idea of virtual marketing got me thinking - which online marketing specialties are best suited for marketing tools and which are best served with personal, hands-on effort? I was forwarded an email about a piece of software that can make pretty pictures of Google Adwords accounts, theoretically enabling you to better understand and thus react to the data. Does this really help or does it add a layer of complexity? I don't know the answer. The pictures were nice, but I'm not sure they would make the information easier to understand. Do we need another tool, or do we need to just dig into the data and make good marketing decisions? I tend to lean towards less bells and whistles and instead prefer to rely on marketing instincts and skilled decision making, but I am sure that there are some tools out there that would make my job easier and possibly even help deliver increased ROI to customers. I'll keep my eyes open for those tools while on the road! 

I just enjoyed Seth Godin's webcast on the ideas behind his latest book, Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?

Seth coined the term "Meatball Sundae" to describe old-school businesses trying to spruce up themselves, and their utilitarian old products (the meatballs), with trendy Web 2.0 media strategies (sundae toppings).

In the book and presentation, Seth outlines 14 Trends No Marketer Can Ignore, here nicely summarized by Shannon Bowden.

Oh, here's another something cool: a link to save a whopping 40% off the book.

SEM New England just sent us word of an evening event they're hosting in Rhode Island.

The “2008 Perspective on the Future of Search Marketing” panel will be moderated by Jill Whalen of High Rankings.

When: March 4, 2008 from 6:30PM - 9:00PM
Where: Marriott Providence Downtown - Providence, RI
Cost: Free to SEMNE Members and $39 for non-members until Feb. 22, 2008 when it will be $49.Panelists:

SEMNE says "This special event features an esteemed panel of search marketers from both large and small companies who will discuss the future of search marketing, while also answering your burning SEM/SEO questions."

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