We live in a culture of instant gratification, that’s a fact. But how does that translate into your social media marketing strategy?

Of course, you want to think what you have to offer is so valuable that it will go viral, whether it’s a service, a web-based business, a new book, or a website, you want others to experience the same sense of excitement that you’ve worked so hard to produce.

Reality check, it rarely happens!

Beyond the Buzz

Creating short-term buzz is important when trying to rise above the internet noise and be noticed. But, how long will a buzz last without a long-term strategy of relationship building?

While it’s difficult to keep up with the ever-changing requirements of the search engines and applying the latest SEO practices to your site, going beyond the initial buzz you’ve managed to create, what’s the long-term objective to your strategy?

There are as many strategies as stars in the sky, and keeping up with what’s working is a full-time job, one that is best left to professionals in the SEO trade, those who are able to keep their skill set up to date.

While some tactics remain viable, others have been banished as algorithms of the leading search engines are targeting those who use “black hat” methods and unexpectedly are penalized with a drop in rank.

Black Hat/White Hat Explained

Black Hat:

• Duplicating content from other sources
• Links in your posts from sources with no relevance to your content
• Stuffing your posts with keywords
• Redirecting to another site or landing page from initial post

White Hat:

• Post content that is relevant to your site
• Citing appropriate links and references
• Correct labeling of images with alternative text and descriptions
• Suitable content free of grammar and spelling errors
• Appropriate and specific titles

Being Human

Digital life is transforming into more human like thought. Therefore, it stands to reason that content needs to be written “humanly” with a human voice, not necessarily to play to the digital game of tricky marketing. If done correctly, marketing goals will be realized and payday will come.

Even as you perform for the page rankings, you also need to remember who is your audience, the decision makers for the service, issue, or information contained in each post or article you write. Communicate with them in your personal language by producing high standard, original content that’s interesting and beckons to humans. Outsourcing to inexpensive content creators is often a mistake, especially if they are prone to using any of the “black hat” methods.

Develop a long-term strategy that will bounce from your short-term buzz by offering consistently well written content which adds value to your readers and enhances your social media marketing plan. If you aren’t able to do this, hire someone who has a proven track record and understands your individual long-term goals.

As an example, you may be able to make the best seller list out of the gate with your new book, but where will it be 6 months from now without a long-term strategy in place? By genuinely fostering relationships with those on your “friends” and “followers” lists instead of pumping out cold and calculating information will go much further in generating long-term engagement. Once they get to know you they’ll want to pass the word on how cool you are and what a great product (book or business) you represent!

Edward Boches says in a 2010 post that still holds true….”if your objective is to take advantage of social media, stop evaluating everything you (or others) do based on the immediacy of results. Long-term relationships are always better.”

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