Is your marketer "sophisticated"?

Most likely not.

I thought that this article was truly unique in it's use of the terms "sophisticated" and "unsophisticated". At first I didn't know what the heck they were talking about, then as I read on, it became clear, and the message was actually quite enlightening.

Report: Most Search Marketers are Unsophisticated: "Based on its latest Survey of Search Marketer Behavior, JupiterResearch considers three quarters of search marketers currently using unsophisticated search engine marketing (SEM) tactics. 'Only one in four search marketers bids and measures intelligently,' said Scevak.
To segment 'sophisticates' and 'unsophisticates,' JupiterResearch looked at the methods search marketers use most frequently to determine the amount of money to bid for a keyword and the most detailed level they usually use to look at metrics to quantify the effectiveness of search marketing."

So as I read it, an unsophisticate is a marketer that takes his marketing seriously and actually measures the effectiveness of his programs, namely, pay-per-click.

Sophisticates bid on more paid listing vendors, increasing the number of clicks they generate. For example, 96% of sophisticates work with Google, 91% with Overture, 44% with FindWhat.com, and 39% with LookSmart. In contrast, only 80% of unsophisticates work with Google, 68% with Overture, 21% with FindWhat.com, and 21% with LookSmart.

Sophisticates currently bid for more keywords with more than a third bidding for more than 1,000 keywords. In contrast, only 14% of unsophisticates bid for more than 1,000 keywords.

Sophisticates are more likely to change bids, select keywords, change ad text, or change landing pages. Unsophisticates are less likely to optimize SEM campaigns regularly.

Of course, the problem with this is that to find all those possible keywords takes time. Time that many don't have, or don't know what to do even if they have the time. The sophisticates are using the measuring tools available to track their efforts and, the point that I find most telling...

Sophisticates are happier with SEM and plan to increase the amount of money they spend on search marketing by greater percentages in the next 12 months.

I'm off to track conversions.