Next month at Search Engine Strategies in New York, I’ll be speaking on how search marketing firms can (and in my opinion should) partner with ad agencies.

First let me expand the scope of ad agencies to include marketing services agencies, public relations firms and interactive marketing firms.  Does it make sense for growing SEM firms to partner with ad agencies? My answer is resounding “yes”.

 For small, growing SEM firms, partnerships with ad agencies complement a naturally symbiotic relationship with additional revenue streams. And as a small business owner, growing SEM firms can use ad agencies as an extention of its salesforce (many times a salesforce of one — yourself!).

 BUT, to make partnerships with ad agencies work, SEM firms must create a process that both works with the existing process of the SEM firm and agency and can be replicated over time. Fees can also be a challenge, so it’s important that SEM firms be flexible on how to manage their fees to match the format of the parter agency as needed.

At Search Mojo, we’ve found partnerships to be an integral part of our business plan. In 2006, approximately 21% of our company’s revenue came through partnerships with ad agencies, and we continue to grow the partnership program.

Have you tried to partner with an ad agency? Let us know your thoughts.

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