The work that will pay off immediately and help you hit the number this month (paid search, influencers) is preferred to the foundational work that might take longer and only make an impact later (things like SEO or brand building).

This is an instance of not one being better than the other but a balance of both for the maturity level your company is at.

You have to pay-to-play to generate revenue and hit your numbers. But the only way to achieve sustainable, long-term growth is to invest in long-term strategies.

Balance does not mean an even 50/50 split. You want to mix paid, SEO, social, and brand.

Let's talk about Brand. 

I am not talking about logos. I am talking about things that interact with your audience but do not directly sell, like podcasts and events. Items that help you connect with your audience help people get to know you and build trust for your brand.

So now here is a common scenario in DTC, e-commerce, and retail, for example:

Starting: 50% paid, 30% SEO, and 20% in brand.

Get market fit: 40% paid, 10% social, 20% SEO, and 30% brand.

Once you found your market:  30% paid, 20% social, 30% SEO, and 20% brand.

B2B and CPG have their own mixes, but the same principle applies.

I worked with a CRM company, and we did a podcast on professional growth and personal branding (before it was a buzzword). It had nothing to do with CRM, but it took off, put them on the map, got people paying attention, and built an audience to sell to that audience later.

SEO gives you a competitive advantage, so definitely build your SEO foundation early. This gives you two advantages:

1. A foundation in SEO creates a bridge during inevitable dips.
   No matter the vertical, digital traffic is a crucial growth factor today, but paid traffic ebbs and flows. You can quickly run through a weekly and monthly budget to spend yourself out of a low period. 

2. A foundation in SEO lowers your ad cost and increases your ROAS over time; it is the gift that keeps giving.

SEO won't help you hit your goals this month, but it will be your best friend down the road.

The only way to balance short-term vs. long-term goals is to have a clear strategy and a vision for where your business is going. If you know what you'll need to do in the future, you can make intelligent bets now and start laying the proper foundation, even if they do not pay off immediately.

I've found that most often when marketing teams struggle with short-term vs. long-term priorities, it's because there is no clear strategy. There needs to be a clear strategy because the company lacks vision and a clear roadmap, and there's either a disconnect or the team has not bought into the vision.

When everyone knows the long-term vision, figuring out how to balance short-term and long-term growth is no problem.

How do you balance short- and long-term strategies? Is it an issue in your company?

PS. Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways we can help you:

#1: Ready to grow your brand? Let's chat about how we can help guide you on your path to success.
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