TechBiz Connection to Referee Debate Between Social Media and Paid Search Marketing

IRVINE, Calif., Mar. 11, 2010 -- TechBiz Connection (http://www.techbizconnection.org) will present a panel of Orange County-based marketing experts who will debate whether social media is better than paid search marketing for lead generation on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the law offices of Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear in Irvine.

According to Jack Bicer, TechBiz Connection president, social media advocates insist that businesses need to be active on LinkedIn and become consistent bloggers. They also believe that companies must have a Facebook fan page and a Twitter following. Others opine that search marketing is the best lead generation tool and businesses need to allocate a large portion of their marketing budget for Google paid search advertising.

“Our panel will discuss how one should allocate marketing time and resources,” noted Bicer. “Attendees will learn which is better and what mix is the right combination for a particular business. We will also cover whether a business can do one and not the other, and how it all gets done if they both need to be implemented.”

The panel moderator is Barry Lieberman, founder, Advantage Plus Marketing Group, which implements programs that bridge the gap between marketing and sales. He creates returns on marketing investments by integrating new marketing tools with time-proven processes and techniques which enable sales channels to respond effectively. For the past 18 years, Lieberman has owned and operated APMG, executing over 1400 marketing campaigns for organizations ranging from major corporations to growing ventures. He is a regular speaker and lecturer on modern marketing practices, demand generation, marketing automation and e-marketing.

Panelist Thumbnail Bios

• Michael Bonfils, managing director, SEM International, specializes in providing outsourced international search engine optimization and marketing management services for global advertising agencies and Fortune 500 firms. SEM International operates in the Asian, European and Latin American regions with a concentration on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex and other media properties.

• Elmer Thomas is an entrepreneur, social media expert, web developer & architect and computer engineer. He specializes in and is known for using leading edge new media and web 2.0 technologies to design and create web platforms that fully integrate with leadings edge social media marketing strategies and tactics. Most recently he drove millions of page views to various websites, large and small, utilizing social media marketing strategies.

• Kathy McConnell, vice president of marketing, BandCon, began helping people leverage LinkedIn in 2006 when she was the vice president and general manager of the McDermott & Bull Executive Network, a group offering strategy, support and networking opportunities to senior level executives located throughout Southern California.

• Nikki Jackson, founder, president, and web diva of Goldranking, oversees search marketing technology, business development, and day-to-day operations at the search engine optimization website marketing firm that she founded in 1999. Throughout her extensive career in search engine optimization marketing, Jackson has been involved with a wide variety of clients and projects including Kiwanis International, Saddleback College, UC Irvine Extension, Cedars Sinai and The Brown Shoe Corporation.

• Joel Tanner, co-founder and president of GigaSavvy, is a seasoned online marketing, social media, and technology professional. GigaSavvy is a full service online marketing company that helps companies from the initial design and development of their websites, through online marketing and social media campaigns, to conversion rate optimization. Joel has been professionally engaged in, and passionate for, Internet technologies, online marketing, and early forms of social media since 1994.

The TBC Forum discussion and subsequent question-and-answer session is sponsored by Daly-Swartz Public Relations; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; InteleNet (now Latisys); Septium Corp.; Smith Micro; BuzzGap; and Knobbe Martens, Olson & Bear.

Admission to the TechBiz Connection event is $30 prepaid and $40 at the door. For further information and RSVP, visit http://www.techbizconnection.org or e-mail president@techbizconnection.org.

TechBiz Connection was created to support Southern California business and technology professionals, companies and entrepreneurs by providing timely education and networking opportunities. The organization focuses on where technology and business intersect; everything a successful high-tech company would want to do.

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Contact:

Daly-Swartz PR for TechBiz Connection

Jeffrey Swartz, 949-470-0075

jeffreyswartz@dsprel.com