Are You A Lazy Marketer?

Are you a lazy marketer? Not sure what I'm talking about? Let me explain. Lazy marketers try to take shortcuts instead of putting in the effort required for success.

For example, when I started my first small business many years ago, it would never have occurred to me to attempt to conquer the business world without first learning the fundamentals of starting a small business. There were so many things I didn't know - but I wanted to learn. I had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I still do.

In that regard, I bought and read dozens of books on starting and running a small business - books that I refer to to this day. I learned all about licenses and permits and zoning laws and business checking accounts. I learned about marketing and advertising. (Contrary to popular belief, they're not the same thing). I learned about incorporating, and the best state to incorporate in etc., etc, etc.

But lazy marketers aren't big on education. Intellectually, they'll be in the exact same place 10 years from now that they are today. That means they'll either be out of business, or their business will be in the exact same state 10 years from now that it is today.

You see, instead of taking courses or reading books that will teach them the things that they don't know about business or marketing, lazy marketers instead attempt to take the easy way out and ask, "How do I do this?" Or "How do I do that?"

Don't get me wrong. There's certainly nothing wrong with asking questions, if you don't know the answers. But amazingly, it never seems to occur to lazy marketers to actually put in the time and research the answers to their questions.

Lazy marketers want instant gratification. For example, instead of concentrating on building a website that has the kind of high-quality content that other high-quality websites will want to link to, and that will attract plenty of visitors, lazy marketers try to "game" the system.

They use blackhat SEO techniques. They participate in useless traffic exchange programs and linkfarms. They pay people to comment on their blogs. They will do anything, and everything except put in the necessary effort that's required to produce quality content that other websites will want to link to naturally.

Bottom line: Nothing in life comes easy. You have to continually educate yourself, and work hard for everything you get. That's as true today as it was 100 years ago - despite the advent of the Internet. Want to know the real secret to success? HARD WORK!