As a society, we want it now. We want it yesterday. We expect results. We expect instantaneous, and we expect to get it our way, right away, everyday. I’m a bit like this myself–I’m impatient. Always have been. I get an idea in my head, and I want to see it executed, pronto. Ask my staff, I think they’ll agree.
When it comes to digital marketing though, and in particular, content marketing and SEO, there is really no instant gratification. Content marketing takes time to build a solid readership (tribe). SEO takes time to build a solid rapport with your domain and Google in order to start seeing some ranking results. Sure, some things can always be done to expedite the process, but at the end of the day, SEO folks are at the mercy of the great Google God.
We had a client come to us two months ago and sign on for content and SEO. I did, if I do say so myself, a rather solid job of explaining the process and managing his expectations as I felt like something was a bit off about this particular client. He agreed to our proposal, accepted, paid the first month, and my SEO and Content team was off and running. Traffic went up. Bounce rate went down. Shared blog articles that we created went up. Leads went up exponentially. Things were looking up for this medical practice. But, not quite quick enough. What my team had managed to accomplish within 2 months was clearly not quick enough for this client. He called a meeting with our team last week, and we explained the results that our content and SEO had achieved and 24 hours later, he was no longer our client. His explanation was that SEO takes too long to make his phone ring. We have to put our money elsewhere to get quicker results.
Now, mind you, I tell folks that we start to see solid results around 3 months. This is based on about 15 years of SEO experience under my own belt and countless hours from my team on top of that. We do understand the lay of this land. The bottom line was this: he got rankings, he got content, he got leads and he decided to let a family member handle the SEO and allocate his spend to more immediate gratification. I found out later that he had been through 4 SEO companies in a year before calling us, so I quickly got over my aggravation.
Folks, SEO and content, doing it right, is a long term approach to marketing. It is a MUCH more cost effective method of marketing, and dare I say, a much more effective method all together. People are actively searching for what you sell. You show up in search results. They need you. You have credibility because you show up, they click you, you win. Long term, the ROI on SEO and Content Marketing can far surpass PPC.
If you’re an impatient type like myself and our ex-client, I encourage you to find your center and take a deep breath. Marketing your business by providing potential prospects with rich, educational, entertaining content introduces your brand to them in ways. Creating rich and constant content helps Google know that your business is the real deal. Be patient my friends; something very rewarding is around the corner for those who put forth the effort.
Thanks for reading and finding your center.
Tom
