The Direct Marketing Associaton national DMA-06 pre conference sessions started this weekend with the new Search Engine Marketing Certification program. Saturday morning started off with Jeannette Kocsis, VP of Digital Marketing at Harte-Hanks,  presenting on "Introduction to Search Engine Marketing" and MIMA boardmember Lee Odden from TopRank Online Marketing following up with "Search Engine Basics".

Here’s the description of Jeannett’s module:

Introduction to Search Engine Marketing: Explore search engine marketing and what it takes for a marketer to achieve search engine marketing results. Learn how to identify ethical search engine marketing practices and how search engines define spam. Learn how to shape the business case for search marketing for your business, and how to staff this valuable marketing function.

Lee Odden’s session:

Search Engine Basics: If you have ever wondered how a search engine builds its database, adds new sites to its index or chooses which results to show, this is the session for you. Learn to identify paid from algorithmic search listings and where search listings appear beyond the search results page. You will also learn how the search marketers’ efforts can impact what the user sees on the page.

Michael Bloom (born and raised in Minnesota!) from the DMA Washington DC office did a short introduction and then Dr. Amanda Watlington presented information about the details of the certification program.

All of the modules were recorded so participants in the certification program will have access as well as to the presentations.

Sunday morning Matt Bailey of Site Logic Marketing presented his module:

Site Indexing Challenges and How to Fix Them: Is your site beautiful to behold, but invisible to search engines? This program focuses on the specific page elements and design technologies that can prevent a site from being included in a search engine database. You will learn how to identify the barriers and what must be done to overcome them.

Which was followed up by Detlev Johnson of Position Tech with:

Search Engine and Directory Submission/Inclusion Tactics: Want to know how to get your Web site indexed in the search engines using the newest and best practices? This session will outline the newest tactics available for ensuring rapid and complete site submissions. Learn how to get your site included in Google using Sitemaps and explore the many features of Yahoo! Site Explorer as well as other highly effective methods.

Find out more information about the DMA’s new Search Engine Marketing Certification program.

We’re all about the interactive here at MIMA blog, so here is MIMA President, Kristina Halvorson offering her insight into the MIMA Summit in a very short video. You can put your 3d glasses on now.

Congratulations and thank you to all the sponsors, member volunteers and board members for making this the best Summit ever (wink wink Michelle). Also, a very, very special thank you goes to Jennifer Kane of Kane Consulting for a fantastic job on organizing all the details and irreverent board members into a special day.

Of course, there would be no event without the wonderful MIMA members and attendees, who despite the very data-intensive morning keynote and rather “flavahful” afternoon keynote, did not stampede, throw food or engage in any obeservable un-interactive behavior.

So, we’re curious, what was your favorite item in the schwag bag? Mine was the eight ball from Brain Traffic. I’m always behind the eight ball.