Are you ready to experience instant blog success?
Are you ready to write blog posts every week that grow your list exponentially from day one? Ready to have 10,000 Twitter followers in just 2 days? Business that is exploding to the point that you need to hire employees?
It sounds great, doesn’t it. And especially when getting started with coaching or a mastermind group, you find that someone – or a lot of "someones" in the group seem to be experiencing instant success. On one hand it’s encouraging – it helps you remember that success building an online business is possible.
But it doesn’t seem fair, does it? It seems like everyone’s business is taking off – except yours. You’ve made a plan, you’re working your plan, and it seems like success comes incrementally, at best.
And then the targeted ads hit. You know the ones I mean. The ones that pop up on Facebook or Twitter, promising instant success, instant growth, for a hefty price, of course.
Is your blog and your business growing as quickly as you’d like?
If not, I wanted to offer a word of encouragement, wisdom that has stood the test of time.
Consistency in blogging, social media outreach and business building brings results.
It’s not glamorous, is it? It’s tough to package it up with a shiny e-book cover and make a profit off of it! But if you have honest conversations with those who have built successful (sometimes highly successful!) businesses online, it’s the advice they offer consistently.
The universal wisdom of this truth hit home for me this weekend when I got out in my garden and very gently did some weeding (am on modified bed rest for pregnancy, so I have to go slow, sit down, and take it easy).
Weeding in that fashion, slowly and gently, doesn’t go fast and it doesn’t yield results nearly as quickly as I’d like. It’s still slow, deliberate work.
I suppose if I wanted instant results, I could go in with a weed eater, and it would look nicer nearly instantly. But it wouldn’t actually create favorable long-term results. The weeds and their associated roots would still be there, just shorter, and really – that’s not the long-term growth I’m trying to create!
I could blast my way to instant success with a chemical weed killer, but it wouldn’t match the long-term vision I have for my organic garden, either.
Unfortunately, the only way to create sustainable success in my garden for the short term that matches the vision I have for long term growth (not to mention delicious tomatoes) is through the daily work of weeding and implementing a long term plan (more consistent work!) of mulching, weed fabric and companion planting.
You can see the connection, can’t you?
When it comes to building a business online, consistency is key.
There are systems for success out there, but the ones that truly work are a set of steps to activate and repeat on a consistent basis. The steps should cover the three core areas of of consistent posting on a blog, regular social media updates, and real engagement with your followers to build relationships that convert readers to customers.
What one consistent step could you take this week to build long-term success in your business? Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear how you are going to use this to grow your business!
Oh I must learn to do this! I do not like to blog LOL if you would like a guest post gig let me know!! LOL
Don’t ever make a joke I might take seriously, Liz!
I’ll shoot you a note soon; I would be so honored to guest post for you! 
Hope you’re having a blast this week!
Pauline, I totally agree with you! “When it comes to building an online business, consistency is key!” Absolutely! With that in mind, this week I will post twice in my blog. The same goes for other social media but it will be a bit more of course…talking about Twitter! Love your advice! Thank you so much.
Consistency is such a tough habit to build, but it’s the one that shows up, well, consistently in remarks made by the folks who have attained the kind of success I want to emulate. Good for you for picking one habit in particular to build! Just like New Year’s resolutions, consistency is better built little by little, rather than trying to identify too many areas for change and getting discouraged at falling short.
Pauline,
Love your comparison to a garden and you are correct on every point. When my children were little I always reminded myself that raising kids is an 18 year job and that results won’t come in an instant, but with consistent actions you really can enjoy success as a parent and you can raise wonderful kids and enjoy every moment. I think business is the same as planting a garden and raising children.
You can make a mistake here and there, but over the long haul you must just show up everyday. The results are so rich when you do that!
Take care and congratulaltions on your upcoming arrival!
Thanks for your remarks, Michele! Love the connection to parenting; just like in business, it is so easy to get caught up in the moment that the long-term goals are hard to keep in sight in the midst of whatever current issue or crisis is taking place.
The just showing up isn’t particularly glamorous in business or in parenting, but it really is the stuff that success is made of. Maybe it’s a little like compost in that sense?
Not the most glamorous ingredient, but one that yields particularly rich results!
You got it girlfriend. No quick fixes and no get rich schemes. If someone tells you that, run the other way!
I’ve been putting more time in new posts lately, stretching myself. Challenging because I will only post quality content. But, it’s getting easier all the time! Thanks for your article. Inspiring. x0x
The LEARNED Preneur @ NormaDoiron.com
Yeah, it’s that whole free lunch thing that apparently still doesn’t exist, does it, Norma? Ah, such is life!
I agree consistency! and it takes works to do that too! great article!
Thanks, Patricia! It’s not a very glamorous habit, is it? But for so many reasons, it works! Thanks for stopping by.
“When it comes to building a business online, consistency is key.” – truly agree with this one!.. Great post, Pauline.
Thanks for your comment, Lorii! Hope things are going well in your end of the blogging world!
Great article! I think consistency is one of the most important and yet overlooked elements to success is many areas of life…certainly in raising children and growing a business. When we are consistent with our actions we build a level of trust that tells people (children) what we are made of and what we expect but mostly what they can expect from us. Love this post!
Encouraging article. Love this: Consistency in blogging, social media outreach and business building brings results.
I have started again writing 3 posts a week. I got away from it due to so many commitments. I see now it’s importance.
Great post!
Isn’t it easy to make the blog posting the last thing we do?! I know I’ve struggled with this too – it seems that there are much more important things to do! Best wishes for an amazingly productive week to you!
Great article Pauline. I was very consistent writing my blog twice weekly and slacked off a wee bit. Figuring out to consistently drive more traffic there is what I am hunting for answers as I already do the twitter and facebook. Not yet engaged into Pinterest or Linked in and these two places can lie the answer?
I’ve noticed that my own twice weekly schedule goes in fits and spurts, too. Just when I think I’ve established it as a habit, life happens, and I find that it takes me a while to get back in the habit again. One trick I’m finding helps is to pre-plan some themes in my writing for the next few posts. My subconscious can be working on it, percolating ideas, so that I’m actually looking forward to sitting down to write just to sort out my thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, Carol. It’s always great to hear from you here, Twitter, and FB! Have a great day (and refilling my water pitcher in your honor today for healthy living!
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Perfect article Pauline, thanks! Knowing some of your philosophy, I was very intrigued by the title of this article ~ which seemed inconsistent with what you teach. Of course what you say is 100% true – consistent good work is the secret. I love your analogy to gardening. When I am in my garden I often marvel at how my gardening processes follow my business processes so closely.
Thanks for your kind remarks, Jennifer. I was hoping that the title would intrigue enough without driving away people like yourself who know very well how ludicrous the idea of instant success is.
You’ve still got me thinking a bunch with your recent ABC series!
I love gardening as therapy and a metaphor for so many things. If our recent move with our new climate and new dirt weren’t proving to be such a challenge to keep anything alive, I’d probably risk writing about it a ton more!
Thanks much for stopping by and commenting thoughtfully; hope you have a blessed day!
[...] a routine that builds in me the habit of consistency – one of the least glamorous but most successful tips to building a successful [...]