Overheard Recently at the Swimming Pool

One fine Saturday afternoon I was cooling off at the neighborhood pool, when I happened to paddle into the the following conversation:

"Twitter? Is that like ... one of those blog things? Yeah, I tried blogging. So many folks told that me I should have a blog. Finally, I told my IT guy to put one of those damn blogs on my Web site. We had it up for four days. Four whole days! And guess what happened ... NOTHING! Not one, single order. I had him take it down the next day."

The above comments [verbatim] are from a highly successful and respected area business professional. She is a consultant who provides advice and counseling services to private-pay clients. While her comments may be a bit hasty and dramatic, she is not foolish, backward, old-school or a novice. She is successful, driven and respected.

I share her commentary with you, not to poke fun at her. Instead, I share it with you to highlight one attitude that exists in mainstream America:

It had better work. And it had better work fast.

Some way, some how, this woman expected a blogging strategy to pay off within four days. In some respect, she is representative of the the universe of potential clients for companies like yours and mine.

Are you offering a service or product that will show results after only four days? What does your client believe? If your service or solution will take longer, how are you managing your client's expectations? Will your client allow ample time for a marketing campaign or a blog to build momentum and show impact, or will they expect the quick, easy solution?

What do you say, marketing geniuses, how long is a reasonable time period for a blogging (or other social media) strategy to generate new business? Gosh, from my perspective, I was glad when my blog brought me my first new customer after four years. The other lady expected results after four days. Maybe I am just too patient.