To me, SEO, SMM, affiliated links, comments on blog posts, adwords, even the despised banner ads and anything else which drives traffic to your site is similar to, and what I’m calling Driving In Traffic.
I believe there are two main schools of thought that pertain to driving in traffic, I think they both can be equally as effective if the time, energy and effort is executed. It’s the results of such that really fascinate me the most. Here’s my comparison on both.
SMM Traffic
This is where I attempt to take my own decided path. I plan on a specific destination, it may or may not be my final destination of the day. In fact it’s usually not, but it’s somewhere I want to go, therefore I jump in the car and venture out. Well, as I trek on my journey I find that others are going places as well, always movement somewhere. They are usually going to a different destination or even in an entirely different direction. Nevertheless, we all seem to be going somewhere at some point, and more importantly, sharing these roads as we travel together. Sometimes it’s even a community driven event. Some people are kind enough to let you in when you need to change lanes. Some might cut you off if they’re in a hurry, but all in all there is some human interaction there. Sometimes less, sometimes much more. Depends on the day.
Here’s one example I recently experienced while driving in traffic on Twitter.
On Twitter, I asked for some good reading material, I was answered by someone who then retweeted it, captured the Author’s attention, who retweeted it again. The results? I connected with the Author of the book himself and communicated back & forth with him. Then, I bought the book and I felt as I chose my path, a more empowering path due to the the human interaction factor. This traffic drove me to buy the book, feel emotionally connected and very good about the purchase all at the same time.
SEO Traffic
This road is a more narrow road, sure the world is our oyster and we can go anywhere we like, yet this traffic option leads me on a path or direction specifically given to me by the results .
For example, I’m lost and I turn on my GPS. Almost always it’s the correct path and also can give me the shortest distance, time, and/or major use of highways. It can even help me avoid the bottlenecks and high traffic areas I would have never known to avoid otherwise. And it’s Fast. Is it an emotional experience? No. Do I feel emotionally connected to anything other than a computer device which is smart and gives me the info I need quickly as I command?
Example:
We’ve all done it. Search Google. Get Results. Consume. Done.
Food for Thought…
When does human interaction trump quick, fast and effective non human interactive traffic driven results. I know every situation is unique and different goals are in play. As I stated above, we all know you can get eyeballs to your content by many different traffic streams. My question is about the results of these different traffic driving techniques. What actually taps into that magic moment, where as human beings, we make that decision to go where we want or even don’t. Does the actual “traffic” we drive IN, make a difference in the results of the destination, or in other words Our Final Decision. Also, when we venture back out.
You tell me, “I’m just a jewelry salesman” 
And would greatly appreciate your comments down below to expand my traffic driving skills.
Thanks,
