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Lee Odden

List of Regional Search and Interactive Marketing Associations

Comments | Posted by Lee Odden on Dec 20th, 2007 in Industry Associations, Interactive Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Industry News

With increasing demands in opportunity, budget and training with search marketing, the benefits of networking and advocacy have correspondingly increased. Informal networks are prevalent within the SEO business connected by IM, email, private forums etc.

However, as more formal SEM budgets and cost centers are created within organizations looking to expand their search marketing effectiveness, the platform for harvesting collective wisdom and resources often comes in the form of an Association.

SEMPO and IAB are great examples of national organizations (U.S. based) that have had a significant impact. The eMarketing Association has also been around quite a while.

A few years back, there weren’t many regional search or interactive marketing associations and some have disbanded. However, I think it’s safe to say there’s been a bit of a spark the past two years and especially in 2007. I’ve had a post planned about this for several months but it was an email from Li Evans about the newly formed Internet Marketers of the Delaware Valley that got me thinking a bit more about it.

I’ve even wondered in the past whether it would make sense to have a Search Marketing Association for Minnesota, knowing it’s not something I could not devote much personal time to. There’s already MIMA which has grown by leaps and bounds, with SEM programming competing with all the other disciplines and interests of a vibrant Twin Cities interactive marketing community.

In the interest of developing a good list of search and interactive marketing organizations, I am posting this list of interactive and search marketing organizations as well as a few organized meetups. If you are aware of others, please leave a note and URL in the comments. I’ll review and add them to the list.

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  • Austin IMA at www.austinima.org
  • shazz danial
    hi lee,sound interesting ,perhad the rest of you can considered/include Singapore SEO?.We have not started any.
    thks-shazz
  • Thanks Webster, the addition is appreciated!
  • Hope I'm not too late. There is a new SEO club in the Kansas City Area:

    www.kansascityseo.org

    Thanks,
  • Don't forget Jill Whalen's SEMNE in New England.
  • PhIMA - Philadelphia Interactive Marketing Assoc.
  • Scott MacG
    International Internet Marketing Association
    http://www.iimaonline.org/
  • And let's not forget about the East Bay SEO Meetup for those on the other side of the SF Bay Bridge.
    http://seo.meetup.com/74/
  • Thanks Bill, it's Li that motivated the post. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

    Jon, the Baltimore SEO meetup is now represented. :)
  • Jon
    Lee - you totally left out our Baltimore clan! We're over 50 members strong and typically have at least 15 for each event. Check out our meetup page at http://seo.meetup.com/75/ and please add if you can :)
  • Lee, Great idea for a blog posting. Thanks for the info and happy holidays.

    Bill
  • Thanks Barry, it looks like I may very well need to put together an international list if we can get more contributions from people world wide.

    Looks like Bill Slawski has made a post about a similar topic.
  • Hi Lee,

    Don't forget us Aussie's. I am in the process of setting up a working group for SEMPO + there is also a group that I am involved with called WIPA - Web Industry Professionals Organisation - http://wipa.org.au/ which is an all embracing group not just Search.

    Cheers Barry
  • Thanks Marcelo. If we went world wide it could get overwhelming. For now, this list is just North America. Maybe there's a need to develop a worldwide directory of SEM association web sites though. Hmmmmm.
  • There are two great SEO organizations in Cleveland. I would encourage any SEOs in Northeast Ohio, or people looking to get into the field, to participate in these groups.

    The Web Association
    www.webassociation.org

    - AND -

    Cleveland SEO
    http://www.clevelandseo.com/
  • Also, IAB is spread all over 20+ countries, most of them with local websites.
    Check full list at:
    http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/international_...
  • Hi Lee,

    IAB Brazil has an active SEM Committee, including all major portals and local SEM agencies. Yahoo Groups page is:
    http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/comite-sem/

    SEMPO has a Latino Working Group which I co-chair.
    Facebook page is:
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5842177439
  • Good list... haven't come across much in the way of Denver though, although if I looked harder something might show up. Who knows, it might be worth starting up some sort of marketing group.
  • You bet David. Thanks Simon. I like the idea of including meetups because I suspect a lot of people might not be aware of them and sometimes an informal meeting is all you need.
  • Lee,
    Debra Mastaler and I run a meetup group in Virginia that pulls in people from VA, DC & MD (as well as some from Li's group), in fact we have a meeting on December 29th - http://seo.meetup.com/72/
  • Great resource - thanks, Lee!
  • Hey David, thanks. Arizona warm sounds good about now.

    Helen, I wasn't sure about orgs outside the U.S. but there are sooooo many search marketing and interactive folks in Canada, it would be grossly incomplete without our neighbors to the North. Thanks!
  • Don't forget AIMS Canada: http://www.aimscanada.com/
  • Hi Lee,

    There is a local SEMPO group here in Arizona called SEMPOAZ that has a good number of participants.

    http://www.sempoaz.org/

    - Dave
  • Thanks Tony and Barry! Glad it was helpful Matt!
  • Good idea Lee. I found a Milwaukee Association I was no aware of. Thanks. You have been Sphunn.
  • Lee,

    I've started "San Francisco Geek Dinners" and will be organizing monthly meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area...pretty decent SEO crowd here...

    Facebook Group:
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7578057941

    - tony
  • Hey Lee thanks for including our new group - Internet Marketers of the Delaware Valley! :)
  • Lisa, that's a great idea. We've had a few informal meetups in the past with 5 - 15 people. It would be good to renew that.
  • LOL, thanks Erica! BTW, we should talk soon. :)
  • Hey, where's Cali representin' on this list? :-) Here's a few...

    I used to attend the San Diego iMarketers Association: http://imarketersusa.com/

    The folks over at WebGuild Silicon Valley (http://webguild.org/) organize a search conference (Searchnomics) in June and have regular meetings/seminars too

    The Southern Cal. DMA (serves Orange County and LA), called DMAsc, often features internet-marketing related topics at their monthly meetings. http://www.dmasc.org/

    There. California love!
  • Lee, read the Oct post too late, but I'm still interested in any new Minnesota search association. Last week at an MSN party, I met a few more SEMs (new to me). We should consider setting up an exploratory meeting new year. I can always make time for something like this. Thanks!
  • Great to see SEMPDX on the list! By the way, Oregon is spelled with an 'o', not an 'a'.
  • Thanks! And, you're welcome to join us if you're ever in the Boston area on the first Monday of the month. :)
  • Excellent Peter, thanks. I'll add that to the list.
  • Hey Lee, how about mentioning some less formal SEO groups, for example we have a very active group for search engine marketers in the Boston area using the Meetup platform to organize.
    http://seo.meetup.com/50/
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