Internet Social Marketing Success Requires Planning, Preparation and Action Before Success is Visible

No visible progress doesn't mean there is none!

Today my bricklayer came for the first time to start the bricklaying on our new home. He arrived on the job at 7.00 a.m. And didn't lay any bricks until around 11.50 a.m. We both were very busy - didn't even stop for morning tea. So what did we do?

• Set up corner gauge profiles, and plumb them
• Mark out where windows and doors will be
• Move bricks to adjacent to where they'll be laid
• Fill water barrels with water, open cement and lime bags
• Calculate the amount of additive for the mortar mix
• Mix the mud, and barrow it to the mud boards
• Set out mud boards

Only then did he start laying bricks! So is it true to say that nothing happened during those almost five hours? Not at all! In fact the pace settled down once bricklaying started.

And this is a good lesson to me - so long as progress is being made in preparing for social marketing, real things are happening. There may not yet be a flood of traffic. There may not be any profits to show. But progress is happening - if the preparation is continuing.

Here's a preparation step:

• Learn how some social marketing sites work - join them, and participate to learn their culture;

Here's a planning step:

• Decide on target market and do research;

Here's some Action steps:

• Work on content - using Hub pages, Squidoo, and a blog. You may even have your own website;
• Learn how bookmarking sites like Digg work and start interacting and using them;
• Write articles for e-zines;
• Learn how to produce video for You-Tube, then prepare and post video clips;
• Develop a Facebook or similar presence.

Each of these items may require a significant amount of learning - and learning takes time.

So, so long as I'm learning I am making progress. I won't have wonderful stats to show for my effort just now. I may not see any or much income. But that will come if I consistently keep on with learning, and applying it to what I do in preparing.

I've found Mike Klingler's training at Renegade University has been invaluable. Much of it is free. And the paid material is inexpensive.

So if my brickie came and did nothing until something could be seen for what he did, I'd still have a bare concrete slab. But because we first worked without seeing bricks laid, but instead made thorough preparation, I now have over 250 bricks laid towards my new house!

So, keep on with the preparation and apply what is being learned. Learning time may be the most productive in the long term!