Nag

M Posted 12 years 8 months ago

t 9 min read

Last week, Eric Papczun, President of Performics US took out time to chat with content and marketing thought leader Andy Betts as part of the Share13 interview series. Prior to his current role, Eric managed Performics' general operations and led its optimization services group, which includes search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, strategy and optimization, and feed marketing.

Eric has earned accolades as a thought leader for the search industry. He frequently speaks at major conferences such as SES, SMX and Pubcon. He is a regular contributor to Search Engine Land with a monthly video column and has been featured in DMNews and other publications.

At Share13, Andy will be moderating the panel on The Future of Search on August 22nd. In this interview, Andy Betts(AB) talked to Eric Papczun(EP) about a number of topics related to the session.  

AB: Hi Eric, many thanks for taking the time to share some insights with us. Welcome to Share13!

EP: Thanks Andy, its great to be asked. I am really looking forward to the event as an opportunity for leading brands and marketers to discuss key topics and trends and exchange insights about our strategies and solutions for moving forward.  

AB:  It is great to have you on the Future of Search panel.   I would like to ask you a few short questions on important topics that you and your team at Performics address on a daily basis.  

AB: How has content developed to become a key focus and central part of search and digital marketing?

EP: We believe that content has always been the core of any digital marketing campaign. Without relevant and engaging content search visitors are certain to bounce off landing pages at a higher rate and web pages have little chance of ranking in organic search. However, we also believe content strategies and execution have garnered more attention as marketers recognize content’s role in influencing decisions and as a means to drive higher conversions resulting in improved ROI from ad spend. We are also enjoying a closer relationship between performance marketers and web dev/IT as internal barriers have broken down over the years.  

AB: How do you view the relationship between Earned and Owned and Paid media – is it a battle or is it part of a holistic marketing solution?

EP: We don't see this as a battle between one form of content versus another but instead a symbiotic relationship between them all. Paid builds awareness, promotes offers, and captures demand; owned content provides depth and understanding; and earned content provides context and verification. The best marketers know the right balance between all three.  

AB: What is your approach to publishing content and measuring performance across channels like site, search and social?

EP: Performics evaluates each piece of content on its ability to engage and influence, as well as, how visible it is to others via search engines and social distribution. We suggest measuring bounce rates, and monitoring the efficacy of participant journeys.  

AB: How important is mobile search in 2013?

EP: It's obviously more important than ever as more of us have smartphones and other mobile devices. Mobile search is now almost 30% of our clients' search volume and increasing every month. What's less understood is how poor mobile experiences are hampering mobile conversion rates and mobile search rankings. This is really the largest opportunity in mobility today.  

AB: Yes, definitely agree!  That’s great, Eric – thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

EP: A pleasure, look forward to seeing you and the BrightEdge team at Share!  

About Eric Papczun

Eric Papczun traded his computer geek card for a button-down collar and a finance degree at Kent State University when he realized that showing off his Atari 800XL computer was not going to get him a date in the 80s. After that, it was all kismet as he found himself in leadership and entrepreneurial roles in the exploding early days of the tech industry.

At the age of 21, Eric’s first business was a building a credit union from the ground up for students at his college, which ultimately become a successful venture that still exists today. He leveraged his experience into a consulting career training other credit unions to achieve a sales and service culture, and then jumped into retail entrepreneurship with a specialty website and physical store selling high-end golf memorabilia called Golf Links to the Past. Having “skin in the game” with his own business meant that Eric had to learn internet marketing as the tactics themselves were being invented and perfected. He started with banners and paid search in the very early days of search advertising, then taught himself search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. He eventually sold the company, but found himself hooked on internet marketing and ready for a new challenge. He joined Performics in 2005.

Prior to President of Performics US, Eric managed general operations and led the optimization services group, which includes search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, strategy and optimization, and feed marketing. In his previous role as vice president of client services, Eric led a number of Performics’ dedicated account teams in strategy, project management and analysis of clients’ performance marketing programs. He was also the architect of Performics’ modern day SEO practice and assembled the experts who identify important technical, content and linking roadblocks that impede the navigation and ranking of a Web site and its relevant content.

About Andy Betts

Andy Betts has 15 years of strategic marketing, content and digital marketing experience working with many of the industry’s leading global agencies and brands across key strategic and marketing growth functions.

Andy has been part of some the industries largest acquisitions such as Latitude (£50m), DoubleClick Performics  ($3.1bn), Publicis and Performics ($60m), Dentsu and Innovation Interactive ($200m) and Experian and Techlightenment/Alchemy social (undisclosed).

Andy has also worked at VP level with brands such as – Google, MSN, Apple, HP, HSBC, United Airlines, Lexis Nexis, Saxo Bank, Motorola, American Express, Fidelity and Fidelity International.

Andy works with BrightEdge on marketing, content and digital strategy whilst also writing and ghost writing for leading publications such as Huffington Post, Search Engine Watch and Econsultancy. Andy’s articles have appeared in Search Engine Land, Venture Beat, Mediapost, and the NYT. You can reach Andy on Twitter as @andybetts1 and on LinkedIn.

Jim

M Posted 12 years 9 months ago

t 9 min read

Following on from a fantastic year for BrightEdge, I am delighted to share more details on Share13, our premier industry event to be held August 22-23 at the stunning Palace Hotel in San Francisco. 2013 has been an epic year for Digital Marketing. The convergence of search, social and content marketing, technical changes, increased local and mobile adoption and the fusion of big data have resulted in massive impact and a positive shift for our industry. Share13 is focused on aligning the key drivers of digital marketing and the central role of content within this market shift and bringing together leading minds, brands and talent to learn about the resulting technology changes, trends, best practices and case studies. 

SEO and earned media are the CMOs imperative

These two channels have become the most efficient, measurable and profitable channels for reaching new and existing customers. Share is the only event focused on exploring the synergies between the two.

The Agenda

SEO – From Rank to Revenue

 Search has evolved to become the largest digital marketing channel. In our 2013 Search Marketers Survey, 98% of respondents confirmed that search is a strategic imperative for the CMO. But with the fragmentation of search results by device, locale, and algorithm updates, how do you measure and optimize revenue in addition to rank? In this track you'll hear from leading global enterprise SEO marketers how they achieve success today.

Earned Media: Maximize your Impact

Marketers have an ever increasing number of channels to understand and influence customers. Your initiatives can reach further than ever, enabling you to drive awareness, demand and revenue. But where do you start, and what channels deliver the greatest return? In this track digital marketing innovators share how they drive measurable business results with earned media and search. 

Please feel free to view the detailed agenda on the Share13 site by visiting http://www.brightedge.com/share13-agenda and check back often because we are adding speakers at a staggering rate.

Star-studded lineup of speakers & attendees

Share13 features some of the most accomplished and visionary search marketers including:

1. Abe Thomas - General Manager, Microsoft.com
2. Mike Grehan, Publisher of Search Engine Watch & ClickZ; Producer of SES international conferences
3. Elisabeth Osmeloski, Director of Audience Development, SEL, Marketing Land and SMX
4. Eric Papczun, US President, Performics
5. Jim Brigden - Global Chief Client & Commercial Officer, iProspect
6. Simon Heseltine, -  Director of Audience Development, AOL Inc / Huffington Post Media Group (HPMG)
7. Anthony Ha, Techcrunch
8. David Lloyd - Sr. Manager, Global Search Marketing, Adobe
9. Christopher Birkholm-Program Manager (SEO & Site Optimization), Digital River
10. Michael Kirchhoff - Director SEO & Product Support, PennWell Publishing
11. Steve Krull - CEO, BeFoundOnline
12. John Schulenburg - Director of SEO, Electronic Arts
13. Molly Scofield - Managing Director, Global Consulting, Global Strategies
14. Ken Shults - Managing Director, Global Consulting, Global Strategies
15. Lisa Williams - Director, Paid, Owned & Earned Media, Rosetta
16. Julia Gause - Director of Search Marketing, Scripps Networks
17. Kirill Kronrod - SEO Manager, Adobe
18. David Whitworth, SEO Manager, Rackspace
19. Marty Muse - Vice President, Client Solutions & Success, Relevance
20. Leo Haryono -  VP, Acquisition Marketing, Macy's
21. Dave McAnally, Director, Content Solutions,  Resolution Media
22. Jason Tabeling - Partner, Rosetta
23. Robin Francis -  Senior Manager, Search & Web Content, Autodesk
24. Holland Dauterive - SEO Specialist, ModCloth
25. Vincent Wehren,Bing Webmaster Tools Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
26. Mel Carson, Majestic SEO

Just a few of the 400 brands attending include Cisco, Citrix, Hilton, Humana, Netflix, Nike, Synopsis, Target and Western Union.

Training & Certification

Share13 is about learning from accomplished marketers on how to succeed in earned media. In addition Share is also a place for BrightEdge customers to share best practices on getting more out of the BrightEdge platform. This year, we are enabling that experience by introducing the BrightEdge Certification Program at Share13. I invite you to sign up for this training in-person training taught by leading experts from the BrightEdge Client Services and Professional Services teams. For more details, please visit - http://www.brightedge.com/share13-certification-training. Feel free to test your knowledge with BrightEdge Digital Marketing Quiz or SEO Quiz.

Networking

Needless to say, with the presence of the accomplished marketers from different industries, backgrounds and geographies, Share13 offers an excellent networking opportunity. Share is exclusively for search and digital marketing practitioners at leading brands making the networking that much more enriching! I would like to personally invite you all to be a part of this industry-shaping event. To give you a preview of what to expect at Share13, we will profile and interview the speakers at Share13 on this blog. Look out for these interviews and updates on more speakers in the coming weeks. Jim Yu Share13 is in San Francisco on August 22-23 Information and Registration: http://www.brightedge.com/share13 Follow updates on Twitter @brightedge #share13 Contacts: Asidana@brightedge.com  Abetts@brightedge.com