You probably heard the phrase “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” applied to a wide range of situations. Anything that requires some sort of long-term commitment and devotion to excellence and quality over time is a fair game, as far as the saying is concerned. Make no mistake, great relationships require that you stick to somebody regardless of what you feel. Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, they’re not all that nice to you, there are all sorts of things going on around you that can affect your relationship. Despite all of that, whether these threats come from inside or outside, you have to stick to it: this is commitment. This is all about dedication and seeing something all the way through, from the beginning through the middle to the end. That’s why Instagram marketing is a marathon not a sprint.
It’s easy to get tricked into thinking that marketing success simply boils down to getting the right kind of software to do the right kind of job; to produce the right kind of outcomes for the right kind of people at the right time, at the right place. How awesome the world would be if things were that easy.
Unfortunately, the world is not some sort of sales page, it is the real world. Just like anything that is real, there are all sorts of complications out there and the consequences that you really need to be mindful of. Otherwise, it’s too easy to fall into a mindset that things should be quick, easy and convenient.
Anything that is worth having in life is worth sacrificing for. What exactly are you sacrificing? You’re sacrificing your sense of entitlement to things being quick, easy and convenient. That’s what’s going on when people say that something is a marathon, not a sprint. Instagram marketing is one of these because if you have ever gotten excited about Instagram you know that it takes work.
It’s easy to see the upside. It’s easy to see the potential, after all, Instagram has over one billion active users and 500 million active users month after month. Given that tremendous traffic potential, it’s easy to just jump in with both feet and look for the quick payout. How hard could it be? It’s all about getting clicks to your profile page so you can direct that traffic to where you wanted to go.
Unfortunately, playing the game that way leads to disappointment. You have to understand that there is no one-time, big-time strategy here. You cannot focus on short-term success. If you did that, you’re going to put yourself in a one-way ticket to failure.
Make no mistake, Instagram marketing requires a tremendous commitment of your time, focus and attention to details because of the following: First, you will be focusing on patterns. These patterns won’t happen overnight. These patterns only take place when you have enough traction. This means that you have to put in work over an extended period; you have to focus on the long-term. It’s easy to declare victory when you notice that the certain patterns that lead to your website are really converting well, but it may turn out to be some sort of statistical fluke.
Finally, if you want to be successful on Instagram, you have to position your brand the right way. Again, this takes time, effort and sustained focus.
