I personally have witnessed the demand for SEO Consultants during the year of 2008. SEM is becoming the hottest industry of 2008-09. As Scott has mentioned, small businesses are behind when it comes to internet marketing, but there’s a huge demand to close that gap. As Andy has noticed, SEM is soon to explode here in australia (esp. in sydney). Once all these small businesses establish their website, the next thing they’ll be looking for is SEM Marketing Agency.

I think it was David Ogilvy – the father of glory days of print and TV advertising that once said “50% of advertising works we just don’t which half”.

Across all industries the internet disintermediates the middlemen between consumer and producer/ provider.

There is no question that Internet marketing provides a unique ability to track customers and is a great return on marketing investment but it is most effective when part of an integrated online and offline campaign.

Another recent report said that Australians lose a day a year frustrated at poor search results – internet marketing is still very hard for most of the 1.9m Australian small businesses – if they are not online the content just isn’t there!

Scott Maxworthy’s last blog post..Ten steps to SOM – social online marketing

For example Google “cemeteries” in Australia and you get an ad for ebay. Am I really looking to buy a cemetery at a bargain price? I don’t think so…

In terms of accountability, outsourcing SEM and big budgets can lead to complacency in the quality of adverts. So while it’s frustrating from a user point of view, I think that users make advertisers accountable by voting with their mouse.

I realize there is some measure of measurability in these marketing methods, and they’re not worthless, but for someone to complain about a medium like the Internet in that regard? It galls me!