August 9 - 12, 2010
Hilton Baltimore, Baltimore, MD

Advanced Search Forum - Monday, August 3rd

Acquire Cutting-Edge Best Practices That Will Improve Any Mature Search Operation

Cover every aspect of Search in an intimate format with your fellow retailers.

Overview: Search marketing is complex and it requires an extensive, specialized knowledge-base for a program to be successful. This day will deep dive into SEO, SEM and site search strategies being utilized by industry leading retailers. You’ll walk away with in-depth strategies, tactics and techniques that retailers can apply immediately to improve their search engine marketing programs
.

Search Day themes and topics include:

  • Balancing and optimizing natural and paid search investments
  • Utilizing user generated content to increase natural search rankings
  • Re-examining site search to create a competitive advantage
  • Strengthening messaging to bring in more qualified traffic
  • Developing a keyword bidding strategy to achieve maximum ROI
Presentation Formats:
  • 35-minute Panel discussions
  • Rotating roundtable discussions (20 minutes each)

With Table Moderators From: 

  • Clicks2Customers
  • Groove Commerce
  • OutRider
  • Range Online Media
  • ROI Revolution, Inc
  • Trinity Insight
  • YourAmigo

9.00 - Continental Breakfast & Conference Registration
Continental Breakfast & Conference Registration
9.45 - Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
10.00 - Panel Discussion: SEO – What Is New And Different That You Could Be Leveraging?
Erick Barney, VP Marketing, Motorcycle USA LLC
Search engine optimization = increased traffic = increased sales. But how do you know if you are really “optimized”? Or are you ever? Our panel agrees that SEO is a journey and not a destination. If you stop innovating (and evolving), you’ll lose the game. They’ll examine ways that you can increase the effectiveness of your organic search campaign by staying one step ahead of the competition.
  • With more and more companies getting more sophisticated with SEO, how can you still be a leader in your segment?
  • Keep moving forward: Why you must constantly be testing and reacting to what Google is doing
  • Fully understanding how Paid and Natural Search influence one another
    • Is it better to be on the search results page with a natural search listing AND a paid search listing or is the natural search listing enough?
    • Conducting an A/B test
  • Keys to directing landing page results for both paid and natural search
speaker_default

Erick Barney
VP Marketing, Motorcycle USA LLC

10.35 - Interactive Rotating Roundtable Discussions
  • Table 1: Timothy Seward, CEO, ROI Revolution Retail Moderator: Joe Schmidt, President, Canvas on Demand
  • Table 2: Michael Leeman, USA Country Manager, Clicks2Customers
  • Table 3: Craig Smith, Founder & Managing Director, Trinity Insight Retail Moderator: Michael Abolafia, eCommerce Director, Taylor Gifts
  • Table 4: Bree Blazak, Director of Business Development, YourAmigo Retail Moderator: Mary Lesser, Director, eCommerce Operations, Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)
  • Table 5: Range Online Media
  • Table 6: Groove Commerce
  • Table 7: Mike Wachsnicht, Retail Search Director, OutRider
12:10 - Panel Discussion: Revamping Site Search To Drive eCommerce Revenue Higher
Many retailers underestimate the importance of their site search results. Besides helping customers find what they are looking for, online retailers have the power to encourage shoppers to find even more! Relevance and organization are the keys to a successful strategy. Our panelists will discuss the steps that they took to deploy their site search strategies and reveal the results that followed.
  • Understanding that you cannot put a value on helping your customers find what they are looking for
  • Examining best practices for the organization of your site content
  • Utilizing your site search as a navigation device that helps customers explore your site quicker and more effectively
  • Providing the right promotions, content, images and layout to help engage customers in a more meaningful way
  • Effectively managing landing pages across your site to increase conversion and keep customers shopping longer
12.45 - Lunch & Networking
Lunch & Networking
1.45 - Continuation Of Interactive Roundtables
No session description available.
2.30 - Panel Discussion: Creating Customized Search Campaigns That Will Drive Your Business
There is no “one size fits all” search strategy; different types of retailers need to take different approaches. Once you understand your industry segment, only then can you begin to customize your search campaigns to drive your business. Our panelists manage all aspects of search for their organizations and pretty much all marketing that drives consumers to the web. They’ll discuss several key areas where they found they could further optimize search to drive revenue.
  • Why do different types of retailers need different search approaches?
    • Low-margin retailers vs. retailers who sell expensive products
  • Understanding how your merchandise reflects your keyword bids
  • Examining how to create consistent and successful keyword campaigns to maximize your ROI
3.05- Coffee and Refreshments

3.25 - Interactive Speaker Wrap-Up Session and Q&A
Erick Barney, VP Marketing, Motorcycle USA LLC
Audience questions from throughout the day are answered
speaker_default

Erick Barney
VP Marketing, Motorcycle USA LLC

4.00 - Conclusion Of Advanced Search Forum
Roundtable Moderators For Advanced Search Forum (Each table is moderated by a Retailer and a technical expert; Each table will last 20 minutes. There are 7 total tables) For more information on hosting a roundtable, call Chet Silverman at 646.200.7478 or email him at csilverman@wbresearch.com.
5.00 - Pre Registration For Conference
Pre Registration For Conference
5.30 - eTail 2009 Welcome Reception
Relax and enjoy the first networking cocktail hours of the event with this fun-filled reception at eTail.At the end of Search and Email Day, join retail executives in this relaxed environment. For those just arriving, this is a perfect opportunity to get all of your registration materials and jumpstart your networking activities at this welcome cocktail reception.