Faceoff: Social Media versus Paid Search Marketing

Which is better for Lead Generation? When?

Social media advocates tell you that you need to be active on LinkedIn and become a Blogger. They tell you that your company must have a Facebook fan page and a Twitter following. Others tell you that Search marketing is the best lead generation tool of our time and you need to allocate a large portion of your marketing budget for Google Paid Search advertising. How should you allocate your time and resources? Which is better for you? What mix is the right combination for your business? Can you do one and not the other? If you have to do it all, how do you get it done?

MODERATOR

Barry Lieberman | Founder | Advantage Plus Marketing
Group Barry Lieberman implements programs that bridge the gap between marketing & sales. He creates returns on marketing investments by integrating new marketing tools with time-proven processes and techniques which enable sales channels to respond effectively. For the past 18 years he has owned and operated APMG, executing over 1400 marketing campaigns for organizations ranging from major corporations to growing ventures. Barry is a regular speaker and lecturer on modern marketing practices, demand generation, marketing automation and e-marketing. Prior to APMG, Barry was the National Marketing Manager of Reseller Marketing for Avnet Computer. There he became an essential part of the team establishing Avnet’s reseller program for Hewlett-Packard and Digital Equipment Corporation. Before his success at Avnet, Mr. Lieberman worked with Hewlett-Packard’s Commercial Systems Division as a major account sales manager.

PANELISTS

Michael Bonfils | Managing Director | SEM International
Michael Bonfils is the International Managing Director of SEM International, specializing in providing outsourced International search engine optimization and marketing management services for global advertising agencies and Fortune 500 firms. SEM International operates in the Asian, European and Latin American regions with a concentration on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex and other media properties. In addition to running his company’s global operations, Michael is a speaker and writer on search engine marketing technology and trends and is an active columnists on Search Engine Watch, one of the industry’s most highly recognized sources for search engine news. In addition to being the founder of a successful internet contextual advertising agency which he sold in 2004, he has spent the last 12 years at the forefront of helping pioneer the search engine marketing industry.

Elmer Thomas | Social Media Expert, Entrepreneur & Blogger
Elmer Thomas is an entrepreneur, social media expert, web developer & architect and computer engineer. He specializes in and is known for using leading edge new media and web 2.0 technologies to design and create web platforms that fully integrate with leadings edge social media marketing strategies and tactics. Most recently he drove millions of page views to various websites, large and small, utilizing social media marketing strategies. As well as helping clients utilize social media to achieve business objectives, Elmer is an active Social Media participant with a large and growing network. Elmer also donates countless hours to the community, mentoring young students and owners of start-up businesses and serving on several boards. His award-winning accomplishments have been featured, syndicated and referenced all across the Internet, media and public sector.

Kathy McConnell | Vice President Marketing | BandCon
Kathy began helping people leverage LinkedIn in 2006 when she was the VP & General Manager of the McDermott & Bull Executive Network, a group offering strategy, support and networking opportunities to senior level executives located throughout Southern California. Over the past 4 years, as LinkedIn has grown from 6 million members to over 60 million, Kathy has presented to numerous organizations on the power of the site and the opportunities it affords its members to find jobs, consulting opportunities, business development opportunities and most importantly, extend their network in a whole new way. Kathy has worked in the telecommunications industry for over 20 years where she has held senior executive positions in marketing, sales, operations and customer support for both start-up and long established telecom companies.

Nikki Jackson | Founder, President, Web Diva | Goldranking
Nikki oversees search marketing technology, business development, and day-to-day operations at Goldranking Website Marketing Agency, a search engine optimization website marketing firm that she founded in 1999. Throughout her extensive career in Search Engine Optimization Marketing, Nikki has been involved with a wide variety of clients and projects including Kiwanis International, Saddleback College, UC Irvine Extension, Cedars Sinai and The Brown Shoe Corporation. Additionally Nikki serves as Co-Director of Training and Education at the Orange County Search Engine Academy, an accredited center for Search Engine Optimization Certification. She also teaches website business and marketing through the UCI Extension. Nikki is a Google Adwords Specialist and Microsoft adExcellence Member. She was also recently nominated for the Orange County Business Journal's "Women In Business" Awards 2010.Nikki has spent the last 11 years helping Southern California businesses successfully navigate through the uncharted waters of the online marketing industry.

Joel Tanner | Co-Founder & President | GigaSavvy
Joel Tanner, co-founder & President of GigaSavvy, is a seasoned Online Marketing, Social Media, and Technology professional. GigaSavvy is a full service online marketing company that helps companies from the initial design and development of their websites, through online marketing and social media campaigns, to conversion rate optimization. Joel has been professionally engaged in, and passionate for, Internet technologies, online marketing, and early forms of social media since 1994. Joel's online marketing successes include search engine optimization campaigns that have moved his client's ranks to the top of Google for search phrases such as "Tickets", “Super Bowl", "Diamonds", "Wheels", "Concert Tickets", and many more. Some of Joel's other projects have included developing online communities of over 3 million members, custom e-commerce platforms, and managing large server installations.