About Getting Things Done:

The Problem
with Instant Gratification

We hear constantly about over-night breakthroughs, huge sell-outs and spectacular entrepreneurial successes online. It seems so easy and so effortless that, with a bit of luck, anyone could do it. There is certainly no harm in trying.

However, there is one problem that appears after the first few months of trying: success doesn't come instantly. It is easy to get carried away when you are surrounded by viral videos and 'stupid news' that get millions of visits a day. The online world has taught us to expect instant gratification every single day. When we send an e-mail we expect a reply within an hour, when we tweet, we expect re-tweets in minutes and when we start something new, we expect it to be big overnight.

While working with many business people over the last few years, my attention was drawn to this dangerous way of thinking when I noticed the way in which they approach blogging and social media. There are few that do it right, but the majority need to work much harder to achieve success online.

Blogging for Traffic

Bloggers are divided in two groups: people who have something interesting to say, and people who think they are interesting enough themselves, regardless of what they say. Which group are you in?

Seriously, to get good steady traffic from your blog all you need to do is forget about your products, services and prices and write something interesting and only remotely connected with your business. Write something that is useful and free to use.

You have to keep at it. You will not get a traffic surge after only a few articles. It will take months but you will see that gradually your blog articles are generating a few visits a day. Patience and dedication - this is what blogging is about. Find a way to enjoy writing and keep doing it. Remember that quality is more important than frequency, but try to post at least once a month.

Social Media Promotion

Image Credits to apdk

You just set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and HubForce and you are set to dominate the social networks with your business proposition. Your ambition is fantastic, yet you have no audience. What you need to do is listen to what other people say, especially your current customers.

Monitor and participate in conversations about topics connected with your business niche. Don't push your products and services though; you are supposed to converse, not advertise. Once people start to follow you, share great content related to your area of expertise and don't get upset when others are ignoring you - maybe that's their way of saying what's interesting to you doesn't float their boat.

Instant Gratification

When it comes to business, there is no such thing as instant gratification. This is a game for patient people and the only way to win is by perseverance, confidence and consistency. Nobody wants to brag about how much time they wasted on things that didn't work for their company and the amount of sweat and tears it took to get where they are today.

Find a way to enjoy doing it and the time will pass quicker and you will see results sooner.

Would you like to share a thought about your way of doing business online? Please leave a comment.