Is Social Media Really the Fastest Marketing Method?

SEO is often perceived as a slow burn and many people choose to omit it from their marketing strategy wrongly assuming it takes too long – or that it’s too complicated. But social media can be equally time-consuming to build a substantial following – never mind the fact it feels like the hamster wheel of a popularity contest and can quickly make you feel like your soul is slowly leaking out of you and into that 5″ metal glass-fronted box which feels welded to your palm…

The Illusion of Instant Gratification on Social Media

It’s easy to get lured into thinking Social Media is the only way to go about marketing your online business – and the allure of instant likes, shares, and followers can be intoxicating. However, beneath the surface of this quick-fix solution lies a less glamorous reality: the slow burn of building a sustainable social media presence.

But the truth is, content creation for the social platforms is never-ending. Whilst you can recycle your successful posts, tweak them or use templates – you’ll still need to consider your posting schedule and spend a lot of time creating content and distributing it consistently.

Then there’s the time spent engaging with your community, responding to comments and showing your visitors that you really are there to help – which is kind of limited to the number of words the platform allows you to type or length of video or reel you can create.

How can you condense all your wisdom and show that you know your stuff when you’re limited to just 60 seconds of a Talking Head?

Algorithm changes are hard to keep up with and yesterday’s top-performing platform can quickly fall from grace – and you’ll find yourself chasing the ‘next big thing’. Or ask your teenagers…

It takes considerable time and effort to gain a genuine following on Social platforms – and believe me, I’ve taken a look behind the scenes and many big names are buying followers! Shady as F! And your high-ranking post is only 1 hour away from being obsolete.

The Myth of SEO as a Slow Burn

SEO can be considered a slow burn. My experience over over 15 years working with SEO has shown me that you need to allow a good 3 months to get real traction with the search engines.

It’s not sexy I know. 3 months vs knocking something up in Canva and posting it out there for the whole world (your mum and your cat!) to see doesn’t fulfill that instant gratification your brain is crying out for.

But with strategic planning and execution, SEO results can be accelerated:

• Know your damned niche: If you still haven’t figured out exactly who you’re helping – and how, then you’re not ready for SEO because you’ll be feeding the algorithms a whole heap of GIGO (an antiquated techy acronym dating back to the 80s(?) – Garbage In, Garbage Out).
• Keyword research and optimization: This is probably the toughest part of all. Because quality writing involves writing in a natural manner (AI can help guide you, but will never replace your thoughts, your words and put them on the screen with a good dollop of your personality) – but you also need to be able to mix this with the keywords your users will be searching for. There are various tools to help you figure out what your hottest keywords will be – ranging from free to paid. However, feed ALL these results through your own personal filter, because just because a tool or AI says it’s so – doesn’t make it so! You know your industry better than any computer algorithm!
• High-quality content creation: This is where you really get to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise within your topic. A funky haircut, a TikTok dance or pretty home office space pales into insignificance when coming up against a 3000 word article explaining your process, and your understanding of how to get your client results.
• Backlink building: This is a contentious one I think. Old skool SEO says that the ‘value’ of your site depends on backlinks – but, because these can be gamed, there is less value now in getting these links. You can be plenty ‘expert’ without needing a whole heap of shit low-value links. Guest blogging is filled with pitfalls too – I’ll have to write about my experiences with that!
• Technical SEO: Whilst Google changes its algorithms regularly to weed out low-quality sites and spammers – they’re pretty straightforward in what they ask for on a technical level. You’ll probably have read that a site should be mobile-optimised – well hello, we’re halfway through the 20s – it’s a rare, rare find these days to stumble across a site straight outta the 90s!

With consistent effort and analysing your results and the data sets provided, you’ll get steady and long-term growth which doesn’t disappear from algorithms before your coffee is even cold!

The Hybrid Approach: Combining SEO and Social Media

A really valuable way to add gravitas to your marketing is to work with a balanceed and blended approach that leverages both SEO and social media. Don’t forget – Social Media doesn’t just have to be the FB/IG/Tiktok style – you can also leverage more introvert-friendly networks such as YouTube, Pinterest or Podcasts:

• Use social media to promote your SEO content: i.e., choose to use it to highlight your best work, rather than oh for the love of G-d please don’t post any “Motivation Monday” graphics! 😉
• Leveraging social media insights for SEO strategy: Whilst it’s good to know what your clients are interested in, social insights can be misleading because they’re very short-term trend driven rather than taking a birds eye view of your industry or teachings as a whole. Use these insights as a tool – not a directive!
• Building brand awareness through both channels: Finding new leads is the name of the game.
• Pressure relief: By engaging in Social Media only for your own strategy rather than feeling that you must, you’ll feel more in control of what you’re offering and not at the mercy of following what others are doing hoping you’ll be noticed.

A well-rounded strategy can lead to sustainable growth because you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket and you’re able to leverage your strengths as a introvert or Social Media avoidant.

CONCLUSION

In today’s digital age, social media is often hailed as the panacea for all marketing woes. The allure of instant likes, shares, and followers can be intoxicating. However, beneath the surface of this quick-fix solution lies a less glamorous reality: the slow burn of building a sustainable social media presence.

On the other hand, SEO – often dismissed as a slow-moving train, can yield significant long-term benefits. By optimizing your website for search engines, you can attract organic traffic from users actively searching for your products or services. While it may take several months to see noticeable results and I always say 90 days is the real benchmark to get noticeable traction – the rewards can be substantial and fuel your business for years to come by providing a steady stream of leads and customers.

The most effective approach is to combine the strengths of both SEO and social media. By using social media to promote your SEO-optimized content, you can amplify your reach and drive more traffic to your website.

Ultimately, both SEO and social media require patience and persistence and unfortunately there is no short cut to online business growth. While the quick wins of social media can be tempting, it’s essential to focus on building a strong foundation that will support your business for years to come. By embracing a long-term perspective and combining the power of both SEO and social media, you can unlock the full potential of your online presence.