A SEM Tool for Content Creators

Search marketing firm Reprise Media has developed a tool that lets online publishers rapidly deploy search campaigns to promote their content on a rolling basis.

Called FeedCast, the tool takes XML and RSS feeds submitted by content creators and automatically extracts keywords and phrases from them, bids on those terms and converts them into ad copy. Sponsored listings are distributed to the major search engines and contextual networks through the use of APIs.

Reprise claims the product reduces the process to hours, when it once took days.

FeedCast is in a private beta now with 12 publishers, including TV Guide, who are using it to place 20,000 daily keyword buys. Others declined to be identified for competitive reasons. Clients have the option of using FeedCast for ongoing promotion of all content, or on a one-off basis when ad inventory to a specific site section is sold out and new traffic is wanted.

“We have some clients who are using this as an ongoing program,” said Reprise Managing Partner Peter Hershberg. “We understand the really high value areas within their Web sites. We understand in many instances how sold out they are.”

The phenomenon of publishers using SEM — essentially buying ads to sell ads — has become much more common in the past year. This week, Forbes.com tapped 360i to bring in more traffic from search engines.

“FeedCast allows us to promote our breaking Emmy content automatically and within hours,” said Dave Bovenschulte, VP and general manager of TV Guide, in a statement. “As a result, our search campaigns are far more current than any of our competition.”

The auto-generation of keywords and ad copy is nothing new, though the application may be. Google has long offered technology that parses Web sites for appropriate keywords. Quigo also offers automated search marketing workflow tools.