The Mobile Disc Jockey Service I co-own has a credit line with American Express. Being that it has nothing to do with Search Engine Marketing (not outwardly, at least), I found it odd to find the following email in the separate inbox I keep for that busienss: Web Marketing Contest for Delta Cardmembers.
Wow! Another SEO contest? The first thought that crossed my mind was, “what’s the made-up phrase?” Then reality set in and I realized that first – this came to my DJ business email address. Secondly, it came from American Express.
Ok, that’s when the confusion set in. Maybe it was time to click on the email. It was a Web marketing contest, but not like I thought. They were giving away (among other things) “email marketing Quickstart service” from Constant Contact and also a “customized strategy for promoting your business on the Web.”
Hmm, I thought. Constant Contact is a forerunner in do-it-yourself email marketing. So that’s the prize. Sure, as a cardholder, I get a discount through them if I use my open card, so AmEx rep just called up their contact there and asked them to sponsor a contest so AmEx could increase their bottom line right? Probably, but the message is still there. Internet marketing is for real – here, we’ll show you how.
Not only does the grand prize include a Constant Connect email account, but the contest’s official rules define the customized strategy as “assessment of website content evaluation of current on-line presence and search engine advertising campaign recommendations.” Not only that, but they give it an approximate retail value of $3,500 US. Not too shabby. Even for the most expeneive SEM reps I know, that’s still a double-digit hours worth of consultation.
Open for Business. And they’re sharing what they know. What a concept. Pass it on.
