2. Use The Forrester Wave To Select The Right Search Marketing Agency
WEBINAR
Use The Forrester Wave To Select The Right Search Marketing Agency
Collin Colburn, Researcher
May 2, Call in at 10:55 a.m. Eastern time

4. Agenda
Search marketing landscape
Finding the right agency
Recommendations

5. Digital spend will top $100 billion by 2019

6. And digital will take over TV

7. Search spend will make up about half of the digital mix

8. Users find information in many ways

9. Your best customers find in all channels

10. Search marketers must enable discovery

11. Search marketers need search agencies

12. Marketers are strapped for resources. . .
Base: 66 search marketers; Source: Forrester’s Q Search Marketing Agencies Forrester Wave™ Online Survey

13. . . . And in paid search too

14. But spend a good bit in search
Base: 80 client references

15. And plan to increase budget
Base: 80 client references

16. SEO is still relatively cheap
Base: 61 client references

17. Technical services dominate SEO
Base: 61 client references

18. Paid search spend is hefty
Base: 64 client references

19. Paid search services are about efficiency

20. Search marketers look to other media too
Base: 71 client references

21. Service quality
Base: 77 client references

22. Service quality
Base: 77 client references

23. The Forrester Wave™: Search Marketing Agencies, Q1 2016

24. The Forrester Wave™: Search Marketing Agencies, Q1 2016

25. Vendor performance Leader 360i Part of Dentsu Aegis Network
Strengths: organic visibility, account management, corporate vision, and corporate road map. Strong and stable leadership.
Weaknesses: reporting and analytics, almost no international footprint.

26. Vendor performance Strong performers Catalyst Part of GroupM
Strengths: paid search, reporting and analytics. Tool to identify and prioritize media/platforms/websites where client’s content appears.
Weaknesses: Corporate vision is not forward- looking, hindered by GroupM.

27. Vendor performance Strong performers Rise Interactive
Founded by former financial services/banking professionals. Independent agency
Strengths: market research, reporting and analytics, corporate vision. ‘Interactive Investment Management’ approach.
Weaknesses: collaboration, account management, geographic footprint, road map.

28. Vendor performance Strong performers Merkle
Formed through Impaqt/RKG acquisitions.
Strengths: reporting and analytics, corporate vision, and employee retention.
Weaknesses: market research, collaboration, and paid search.

29. Vendor performance Strong performers iCrossing
Part of Hearst Media. Significant leadership changes.
Strengths: organic visibility, support for biddable media, Hearst data.
Weaknesses: vision to be a “marketing agency for the modern world,” outdated corporate road map.

30. Vendor performance Strong performers Acronym Independent agency.
Strengths: account management, reporting and analytics, organic visibility, and consulting approach.
Weaknesses: market research, inconsistent vision and strategy.

31. Vendor performance Strong performers iProspect
Acquired Covario in Sept Part of Dentsu Aegis Network.
Strengths: paid search, market research, collaboration, and big international footprint.
Weaknesses: Road map does not support vision of search becoming a “personalized assistant,” employee retention.

32. Vendor performance Contender Performics Part of Publicis.
Strengths: employee retention, account management, and using neuroscience in search strategy.
Weaknesses: market research, organic visibility, reporting and analytics, corporate vision, and competition within Publicis.

33. Vendor performance Challenger Zog Digital Independent agency
Strengths: hands-on approach with clients, scrappy in scooping up clients from competitors.
Weaknesses: scale, paid search, no frameworks to manage collaboration or support market research.

34. Vendor performance Challengers Ethology Independent agency
Strengths: content strategy and leadership dedication.
Weaknesses: No clear and specific road map of investments and inconsistent corporate vision.

35. Recommendations Identify your needs and problems.
Create a shortlist of agencies based on your required support.
Ask the tough questions about vision and strategy.
Use the Forrester WaveTM model to customize the scores to fit your needs.

36. Collin Colburn