diberry - 3:42 pm on Jan 5, 2013 (gmt 0)

Look, if you are the agent for the hottest movie star in Hollywood, you still want to have a few more clients in your pocket just in case. It's just not good business strategy to hitch your whole star to one wagon.

Mods, can we build a list of other traffic strategies? I remember the one netmeg posted somewhere, and maybe in this context it would generate better discussion.

For now, I'll just say this: study marketing. You'll find SEO plays a rather small part in the strategy of major brands.

And for people who dismiss social media? I'm familiar with the strategies of two local businesses, one small and one medium. They both have people spending a huge amount of time just going out and meeting people who might potentially know or become a client. Their job is to collect contacts and leave them with good impressions of the business. For everyone hundred people they meet, maybe 1 will eventually bring them business.

I read people here complaining that if they court social media, building up a profile and engaging with people, the conversions might be 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000. But think how quickly you can "meet" a hundred people in social media compared to just hitting the streets and going to local events. And the assumption that your product has to be sexy to make it in social media isn't true. For example, if you're looking for a trustworthy plumber or DIY repair info, would you rather search Google (who doesn't rate the trustworthiness) or social media where someone you actually know is telling you they found a great plumber on whatever.com, or a great DIY repair tutorial or kit on whatever.com?

Part of the appeal of SEO was to people who didn't like trying to think like their audience - instead, you could just learn to think like an algorithm. But the human element is back - it never really went away. A smart business strategy will always involve understanding the target market and figuring out ways to reach them without annoying them.