Want to be Successful at Social Media? Here are 13 Steps You Probably Missed (Pt.4)

In previous articles we have discussed Step 1. The Proper Way to Set Goals, Step 2. The Importance of Seizing the Day … Every Day … to Advance Your Social Media Goals, and Steps 3, 4 & 5. What To Do Along The Way.

Today’s article will offer some guidance on why you should develop grit, will-power, and the wisdom not to make your goals harder to achieve than they already are.

Step 6.  Develop grit.

You don’t have to be John Wayne, but you do have to marshal the courage to commit for the long-term.

You don’t have to face your enemies with guns blazing, but you must not cower in the face of disappointment, run in the face of difficulties, or give up in the face of overwhelming odds.

You don’t have to wear a ten-gallon hat or an eye-patch, and you don’t have to swill bourbon for courage.  But you do have to smile even when things get tough.’

And they will get tough.

Exertion of effort, careful planning, dogged persistence and winning strategies are all components of Social Media success, but it will take true grit to make them happen.  Social Media is not for sissies.

 

Step 7.  Develop will-power.

Your will-power muscle, according to the Harvard Business Review ” … is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn’t get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.”

The Review continues, “When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother — don’t.”

When your Twitter growth is slower than you wish it to be, when your followers don’t seem to appreciate you, when sales don’t immediately materialize or when your profits are hard to quantify … don’t get discouraged.  Instead make a fist, join with your fellow workers, thrust your arms into the sky, and keep up the fight.  Social Media is not for the weak-of-heart.

Step 8.  Develop the wisdom not to make your goals harder to achieve than they already are.

You don’t have to be Albert Einstein, but you do have to recognize that there is a formula for success in Social Media.

It’s not E=MC2, although it’s just as powerful.

It’s more like:

Social Media Success = (Getting Expert Advice, If You Need It) + ((Doing the Right Thing) x (Doing It Efficiently) x (Doing It Consistently)) – (Mistakes You Make Along The Way).

If your market is on Twitter, don’t rush out to build a Facebook page.

If you run out of time, don’t fall prey to the countless websites that promise to automate your Twitter account and deliver thousands of guaranteed followers. 

Don’t test the waters.  Don’t make a half-hearted effort.  Don’t listen to the naysayers.  And don’t obsess over your mistakes.

Do ask questions.  Do think.  Do plan.  Do act.  Do persist.

And then improvise, improvise, improvise.

No one who really understands Social Media will say that it’s easy.  It’s not.  But it is predictable, as long as you apply the proper formula.

Take these suggestions as you pursue your campaigns, and don’t make your Social Media goals any harder than they already are.

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 If you found this post useful, you will love my eGuide — Trajectory: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Successful Business with Twitter