• by Aaron Goldman , Op-Ed Contributor, January 7, 2009

For my first column of 2009, I thought I'd give Haiku 2.0 another try and share my outlook for the year, 95 characters at a time.

 

A New Year Is Upon Us,

A Time to Reflect; What Will Become

Of Search With the Economy Wrecked?

 

We Have Not Yet Seen

The Extent of the Trauma; Don't Pin

All Your Hopes to Mr. Barack Obama.

 

Once the Holiday Sales

Are All Tallied Up, Methinks We'll

See Many a Corporation Go Belly Up.

 

No Government Bailout

For Online Retailers; Time to Add

To That List of Dot-Com Failures.

 

Brands That Survive Will

Have Limited Cash; Discretionary

Budget Will Be a Thing of the Past.

 

For Marketers, The Answer

Is Quite Clear; Optimize Each Penny

Or You'll Soon Be Out on Your Rear.

 

Don't Be Afraid to Toot

The Digital Horn; CMO's Finally Get

There's More to the Web Than Porn.

 

No Doubt the Best Bang

For Your Buck is in Search; Turn to

The Big G -- Not the One at Church.

 

You Can Hope You Can Pray

But In the End, Search is the One

Place You Can Show Profit on Spend.

 

And Whether You Go Paid

Or Au Naturale; Search is Your Last

Lifeline -- No Phone-a-Friend Call.

 

All You Search Marketers

In the Budget Chase; Rely on Data

Not Emotion When Making Your Case.

 

Post-Click Activity Must

Be Addressed; Mine Web Analytics

And Propose Multivariate Tests.

 

As for the Google, 2009

Will Be Intense; Finally, Display

Ads on SERPs, Not Just Via AdSense.

 

Live Search Will Get its

Fancy New Name; But Without Volume

It Won't Be a Player in this Game.

 

Now Yahoo, Old Pal, If I

May Be So Bold; Your Best Chance

To Make it is to Get Yourself Sold.

 

And Dear Ask.com, Holding

Strong at #4; Bring Back Old Jeeves

Your Engine's Become a Slight Bore.

 

A Note to Bid Management

Vendors and Tools; Turn the Focus

To Integration, Not Just Bid Rules.

 

Technology Can Only Take

Us So Far; Apply Search Insights to

Other Channels and You Will Go Far.

 

One Last Warning Lest We

Become Big-Headed Giants; Remember,

It's Just SEM, Not Rocket Science.

 

So As You Set Out To

Conquer '09, Speak Softly and Carry

Big Data Files and You'll Be Fine.