post by Stephanie Nelson
Even if you don’t know me, it’s not hard to figure out I’m a die-hard UNC-Chapel Hill fan. It’s where I went to school. “Tar Heel Born & Tar Heel Bred” is in every bio I’ve ever written. And with that fandom comes a DEEP love for some college basketball.
Ever since my first March Madness out on my own, I’ve realized that one of the best parts of owning a business is being able to fully partake in what I call “the most wonderful time of the year”. From the start of the division tournaments to the end of the NCAA Tournament, there is over a month of almost-daily basketball. It wasn’t until this year, though, that I thought to compare the tournament scenario to the SEO and social media world. So what did I come up with?
- They’re both cut-throat.
In the tourneys, it’s win or go home. In SEO, it’s get shown in the results (preferably first page) or you’re not found. In social media, it’s post content folks engage with or (a) you’re not shown or (b) you’re wasting your time. You have to give your all, all day, every day, in each of these outlets. - One wrong move can be your undoing.
It’s hard to fix an SEO mistake. Once a page is indexed, you have no idea when or if the search engines will come back. In social media, if you sink your time into an outlet where your audience isn’t or your money into a sponsored post that doesn’t work, those resources are just gone. Many a basketball game has hinged on shots in the final seconds..and whether or not they go in. - You miss all the shots you don’t take.
I’ve always loved that quote from fellow Tar Heel, Michael Jordan – “you miss 100% of the shots you never take.” As true as that is in basketball, it rings true in SEO and social media, too. Sometimes you have to try something, do your best at it, and hope beyond hope that it works out. You don’t put all your eggs in that particular basket. And if it works, you do it again bigger and better. But if it doesn’t work, you’re not lost. And if you don’t try it at all, it’s guaranteed not to work.
So that’s what I have so far. What about you? Can you think of any ways tournaments and social media or SEO compare?
Image by Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net