Yield To Distraction

Are you more focused on getting the sandcastle steps just right, than on setting up processes to grow your business?

Just nod your agreement and stop feeling guilty. The past four (plus) months have turned our world upside down, and it’s been stressful and isolating and exhausting.

It’s hard to stay focused when the beach and bicycle and boat are all clamoring for your attention. In these dog days of summer especially, we crave play, fresh air and sunshine. And besides, taking time away from your business can provide the perspective to properly assess what’s needed.

Picture this: 

You’re kneeling in the damp sand (with your salt-covered child, perhaps), near the water but not too close to let the incoming tide overcome your work. You fill the small pail partway with dry sand, mix in an equal quantity of hard-packed sand to get just the right texture. Next, you pack it down on the big mound that is the base of your castle, and sprinkle sea water a bit at a time, just until it firms up. Then you tap the sand into place, shaping it and using the edge of the shovel to square-off the steps just so …

It’s a process, right?

To build that perfect sandcastle, you don’t just plunge in. Sure, you have a few false starts that get washed away by the tide or crumble because the texture wasn’t quite right. But then you begin anew and develop a system to execute the beach masterpiece.

Exactly. Your online presence and marketing outreach work the same way. Maybe you did just plunge in, buoyed by enthusiasm, and you’re finding that there’s a lot to keep track of. Perhaps you started a LinkedIn profile that’s not quite complete, or you published a few blogs and fell off the wagon. Or you send a newsletter every now and then, but the struggle for topics is a frequent roadblock. 

What you need is a process.

The system of sandcastles

With a cohesive, integrated marketing strategy, everything’s connected. You know what your goals are and you execute on marketing initiatives to accomplish them. You have a system to create content once and leverage it in various ways and multiple platforms where your customers spend their time. There’s a process for driving visits to your website, and you’re measuring what works and what doesn’t.

Too soon, the summer breezes will be replaced with crisp air and the informal summer pace will quicken. So if you’re a bit distracted, give into the temptation to focus on other processes — like building sandcastles — and schedule some time for business development once the beach no longer beckons.

Savor the sunshine. When you’re ready,

This post was published previously on OnlineAmplify.com
and has been refreshed for relevance.