Everyone knows by now that content is the name of the game and that you’ve got to use social media, show up in search engines, etc. You’ve probably already started doing some of this or are at least thinking about it.
But it’s a hybrid approach that will actually bring you significant ROI. You can’t just do Twitter or just do blogging or just do a landing page here and there. It doesn’t work that way.
You’ve got to do all of these things, and you’ve got to do them with a harmony that ushers in great results.
Social media is useless.
Useless, that is, if you’re doing it wrong. Before referring to social media in a broad context, there’s something we need to get straight, and that is that blogs are social media.
I’m not the first person to point this out. When most people think of social media, they think of Twitter, Facebook, et al. These are third-party networks where you can publish content. Your own blog, however, is also “social” because you’re using it to create your very own highly targeted audience. Members of that audience will comment on your posts and become part of a community that you control.
That last part is important. In fact, it’s why blogs are one of the most important parts of your marketing “toolkit,” so to speak. Because you control the community.
Of course, your blog couldn’t succeed without Twitter and LinkedIn because you wouldn’t have an audience for your content. And that is just one example of how a hybrid approach – using several Internet marketing tools in tandem – brings you results on the Web.
Hybrid means using everything.
This is where a lot of decision makers get confused. They know they should be blogging. They’ve heard they need to be on Twitter. They know showing up on Google is important.
What takes awhile to understand is that the only way all of these Internet marketing strategies can work is if you’re using all of them.
You won’t show up in Google unless you’re blogging. In fact, you certainly won’t show up on the first page of Google for a targeted keyword unless your content is spectacular and it’s getting lots of links from other sites.
And if you’re not sharing it on third-party social platforms, you won’t have an audience to share it or link to it in the first place.
In other words, not using all of the above is going to result in wasted time, wasted money, and disappointment. Going hybrid, on the other hand, will get you where you want to be.
About Adam Green
Adam Green is a copywriter and Web communications specialist. He helps small to midsize businesses, marketing companies, and design professionals increase online engagement and boost revenue.
