I was lucky enough to sit in on SEMpdx panel yesterday in beautiful Portland about marketing within social media. The other panelists included Paul Colligan and Dan Harbison of the Portland Trail Blazers and Anvil Media’s Hallie Jansen stood in as moderator.

It’s interesting to observe the intersection of SEO, SEM and social media. Worlds continue to converge, and these guys are pros when it comes to capitalizing on the mix. In one a great example, Paul who recently coined the term Ubersyndication, used micro-blogging tools such as Twitter and Pownce to produce indexable content (or as Paul coins it “Spider Food”) in seconds. He generated search results for the word “ubersyndication” in a manner of minutes when before there was nothing. He also noted his standout Tweets typically produce higher click through rates than his email blasts, which reinforces our take that social media is indeed a pathway to a more highly engaged user.

Other interesting topics that were covered included the need to integrate social media into a greater strategy and thus avoid the “one eared Mickey Mouse” So first figure out your strategy, then your search, then your social media. And then once you’re ready to take on social media – let the tools do the work for you, develop a subscription mindset and then strategically deliver with your brand in mind. I would add to this that figuring out who’s influential and targeting your efforts to those influencers is another critical component. After all, publishing “Tweets” only matters if they are consumed by people who are passionate about – and able to help spread – your message.

Dan Harbinson, Internet Marketing Manager for the Portland Trail Blazers also had some interesting learnings to share regarding how to build a private social network that has now grown to over 11,500 active fans / members. His tips included integrating video testimonials and linking these marketing tactics to engagement strategies that leverage the voices of passionate fans from a few to the many. Using this approach, the Trailblazers were able to sell over 100+ season tickets for a special section surpassing revenue expectations and increasing fan affinity through meaningful engagements.

What is the key takeaway here – build meaningful relationships with your customer base , engage with them in authentic ways, then use tools and technology to amplify those efforts.

thanks Janet Johnson for some great live-blogging at the event!