At the end of a long day I often wonder how people in much more important positions than I are able to accomplish so much. After all, we all have the same 24 hours in a day!
Learning effective time management techniques is great, but no matter how well you manage your day, you can’t get away from the fact that some things simply require large chunks of your time. Those that seem to accomplish the most with their time are often those that have spent countless hours honing their skills and experience, making it look easy to the rest of us.
But time is still a factor.
- Without time spent rehearsing, a play will be sub-par.
- A movie shot in three days will generally have remarkably lower quality than one shot in three months.
- If you don’t spend time on the field, you’ll never reach pro level.
And all of these things take one thing: Time. And we all know that “time is money,” right?
You can do all the same things with a little bit of time or a lot of time. In most cases, the difference in the outcome will greatly depend on the time invested, and the skill of those investing it. But even those with great skill still do sub-par work when time is cut short. Witness the countless direct to DVD movies with A-List actors! Low-budget isn’t just about the money. It’s about the money to buy the time, which is the same as buying the skill needed to produce a quality result.
Results vs. Expectations
And this marks the age-old battle in life that carries over heavily into the digital marketing space. The battle between the results you want and what it takes to achieve them.
Like most things, successful digital marketing is dependent on two factors: time and skill. A more highly skilled web marketer requires less time than a less skilled marketer, but the cost of that time varies with its value. In theory, the greater value you get out of each minute of time increases the cost of that minute.
So where are you competing?
Are you investing in your web marketing campaign to compete at the pro level? Amateur level? College? High school? Or are you expecting to compete in the pro-league with a amateur league investment?
Not everybody can afford to invest at the pro level of digital marketing. I’m not here to tell you to spend more money. But I will tell you is that you must adjust your expectations based on whatever level you’re able to invest at.
“Not everybody can afford to invest at the pro level of digital marketing. I’m not here to tell you to spend more money. But I will tell you is that you must adjust your expectations based on whatever level you’re able to invest at.”You’ll achieve vastly different results in digital marketing when you invest $100 per month compared to $1000. And, of course, $1000 per month will achieve vastly different results that $2000 or $5000 or $10,000.
Whatever you can invest in your digital marketing, do it. Now. Today. And if you want to achieve big league results, make sure you are making a significant investment in your digital marketing…or be prepared for a big league disappointment.
Web Marketing Expectations Checklist
- Understand the competition. Know who your competitors are and whether or not you’re in the same league as them in regards to money invested in the web marketing campaign.
- Attack the low hanging fruit. When you have a smaller budget, invest heavily in the quick wins. Going after some easy wins may not bring in the big ROI, but it gets results more quickly, which means your investment is coming back to you.
- Invest in the long play. Take the revenues from your quick wins and reinvested that into into the longer-term, bigger ROI strategies. Again, start where its easiest to get a win and continue to advance toward the higher ROI strategies.
- Don’t give up. ROI in digital marketing can take time, and the less you’re invested the more time will be required. But it does pay off. Cutting out early is the same as buying stocks when they are high and selling when they are low. You have to stay in the game to win it.
- Always know your place. As you begin to invest more, your competition may be investing more as well. Keep an eye on where you rank in the field and look to work your way up to the champion. But until you’re ready, be content taking out the next challenger along the way.