Internet and Inbound Marketing Success: Focus and Information Overload

Entrepreneurial Success Traits

The Importance of Focus

Internet and Inbound Marketing Success, the Entrepreneur, and Focus

I know, I know! I really couldn’t settle on a title…so I figured the next-best solution was the shotgun approach. I could tell you I’m testing it and all of that…but that would be bunk.

So, I’ll just tell it like it is…like I always do! Why change after 55 years?

Note: I will discuss this topic, and that of distraction and time management, in greater depth in The Ultimate Internet Image’s upcoming ebook, Inbound Marketing A through Z, scheduled to be released to our subscribers on September 7, 2010. You can find the details for it and the contest on the home page (link right above you). I would suggest entering the contest…the odds are fantastic right now and someone is going to win a nice little Apple iPod Touch and some other nice prizes!

So, check it out.

OK, done with the commercial!

I have added a couple of videos below.

The first is by David McCandless and his TED talk is entitled:

The beauty of data visualization

The second is by Gary Flake and is entitled:

Is Pivot a turning point for web exploration?

The latter is very exciting because it goes hand in hand with the recent discussion about TweetPivot in The Inbound Marketing Week in Review and in the follow up interview with Chris Arnold of TweetPivot. Chris is a great guy and you can follow him on Twitter at @GoodCoffeeCode

Phew! Lots of links…sorry…but they’re for a good cause!

The two videos mentioned above deal with information overload and focusing on information (data) in a very different way. I think if you take the time to watch them, and read the accompanying article below (of course!), you will find you have a better, perhaps somewhat different perspective than when you arrived.

At least that is my hope!

For now, I want to talk about focus as it relates to Internet marketing, inbound marketing, and online entrepreneurial endeavor.

Peter Baskerville states that:

“Entrepreneurs know better than most, the power generated by focus.”

I agree!

However, I would qualify it somewhat by stating that successful entreprenuers know how to focus. I would also suggest that a large part of that success comes from our ability to focus in spite of the many obstacles in our way; and, in particular, in spite of information overload.

I suggest that, in spite of the myriad distractions, changes, and hurdles that may confront us, thus obstructing our path, we as entrepreneurs are able to keep ourselves, and those working for and with us, focused on the ultimate result, either an immediate or long term goal; and, usually both.

The successful entrepreneur, complete with the obsessive tendencies we often display towards our passion, and in spite of many obstacles and distractions noted above, will maintain focus and get the job done.

It is important to distinguish between the word entrepreneur and the phrase successful entrepreneur.

Additionally, it is important to understand the characteristics that define entrepreneurial success. Understanding the distinctions between the two, and the characteristics that define success in this realm, we can begin to understand what defines a successful entrepreneurial endeavor.

Interestingly, there are a great many individuals referring to themselves as entrepreneurs.

In today’s world, it is easy to claim to be almost anything!

It takes minutes to set up a website or blog and be online today. I can do it in less than 5 minutes…tops.

In a moment a relative unknown can go toe-to-toe with a reputable firm, established and able to deliver on their promises…and no one is the wiser.

Whether in Internet marketing, inbound marketing, or some other niche specific online endeavor, people referring to themselves as entrepreneurs are everywhere. People calling themselves “gurus” are just as common. And I’ve discussed the latter until I’m blue in the face.

There are entrepreneurs and then there are Entrepreneurs; and, there are Gurus and then there are “gurus.”

For more on this you can read:

The Top 10 Guru Survey and the Truth About Internet Marketing Gurus

This is both exciting and worrisome. Exciting, because it allows a relative unknown to step up and do incredibly exciting things. Worrisome, because it also allows the bottom feeders to surface, grab their prey, and submerge never to be seen or heard from again.

Sadly, the latter muddies the waters for the former and makes it difficult for the legitimate entrepreneur to establish himself or herself.

However, there are a few young (meaning: new on the scene), successful Internet marketers, inbound marketing consultants, and/or online marketing specialists who have been able to break through and establish themselves as successful entrepreneurs, in spite of these obstacles, by remaining focused on their ultimate desire through service to others.

When all is said and done, there are very few truly successful entrepreneurs.

Why?

I think it comes down to several things but an essential characteristic or trait for successful entrepreneur is, as stated above, the ability to focus and remain so in spite of obstacles and distractions; and, information overload is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, distraction in the online world.

In other words, the ability to remain focused, to remove all obstacles and distractions from our path, is the key ingredient to success…and a real challenge for online marketers in any sphere.

Whether an entrepreneur is solely focused on Internet marketing (e.g., as an information marketer, affiliate marketer, or some other specialty) or is exploring some other sales and marketing niche (e.g., inbound marketing), the amount of information and the shear volume of noise is deafening.

Seth Godin referred to the subject of noise on his blog today:

The blizzard of noise (and the good news)

While Mr Godin was talking about noise and the online world, particularly in the context of the familiar versus the unfamiliar, it is a constant theme of his…and for good reason!

An Aside: It is interesting, and I have mentioned this before, how many times we will be thinking of something, writing about it or whatever, and suddenly it seems that several people are talking about the same thing. The fact is, they always were, it’s just that we weren’t looking in that direction, at the shooting stars, until now!

I wrote an article about this topic just the other day and you can find it at:

Shooting Stars, Abraham Lincoln, Prayer, The Beatles, and Commitment

Interestingly if you are pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor as an inbound marketing consultant, there is always something appropriate, something interesting, and/or something useful. However, to avoid information overload, we must settle on what a few trusted sources and resources, what feels and fits best, and stick with them…remaining focused on our primary task above all else.

So, what are the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur as related to focus?

• The ability to remain focused in spite of setbacks
• The ability to remain focused in spite of distractions
• The ability to remain focused in spite of unforeseen changes (flexibility)
• The ability to maintain focus in our personal lives, because personal problems (i.e., family issues, health concerns, etc) are a major distraction and can and will undermine our entrepreneurial endeavor or endeavors
• The ability to keep others we depend on focused in order to get the job done; and thus meeting and exceeding goals and objectives, both personal and professional
• Passion – Passionate about our work, about others, about our family, and about life in general
• Concentration – Again to the point of obession but not to the point of myopia. Marketing myopia, discussed previously and again in our upcoming ebook release can be and often is the entrepreneurial kiss of death
• Prioritize Everything – Prioritize to the point of obsession! While making sure you have the small things taken care of, be aware of the ultimate prize. I suggest the video below: Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff
• The ability to compartmentalize the various components of our lives and the task at hand…in the context of overall personal and business goals
• “Single-minded with an eye-constantly-on-the-prize” Peter Baskerville
• Entrepreneurs rarely, if ever quit (The Dip being the qualifier here - Seth Godin’s book is a must)

Ultimately, entrepreneurs must have the ability to focus, as if with blinders on, until the job is done. This is extremely difficult in today’s world. The Internet is a cacophony of sound, literally and figuratively; and, it is difficult, if not impossible, to remain focused to the exclusion of all unnecessary distraction.

One of an entrepreneur’s greatest assets is curiosity. Curiosity is also one of an entrepreneur’s greatest enemies!

It is an inquisitive mind that is always looking for the next-great opportunity, the next-best thing. However, if one is to succeed as an entrepreneur, it is imperative that we remain focused and as ourselves one thing. Yes, it is always important to keep an eye open for the next great opportunity…just so long as it is not a distraction.

Consequently, there is a constant balancing act going on between what may translate into something real and what must be done now…in order to accomplish the task at hand.

Ultimately, the question that must be asked and answered is this:

Will this get me closer to my main desire, the task that will take me that much closer to my ultimate goal?

If not?

Then you must walk away!

Why?

Because there is simply too much noise online today and if you are not working toward the completion of the task at hand?

You are walking away from it!

The former is crucial and the latter is self-defeating.

In order to succeed in today’s connected world, any of us, we must be able to tune-in in order to enhance our knowledge and learn what is necessary to go forward toward the completion of our task.

And, we must know when to tune out, to put the blinders on, and focus on our primary goal to the point of obsession.

“Unfocused energy dissipates whilst focused energy, like the sun’s rays, through a magnifying glass BURNS!” PB

I also like Marc Joyner’s analogy of the knife and the box.

I will save that for another time…or you can ask me in the comments below and I will be happy to explain. In either case, please leave a comment.

I have added the videos below for you. The videos are useful and quite appropriate, both narrowly and broadly speaking.

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Please remember to subscribe!

John Zajaros
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004
Skype: johnzajaros1

Note: Peter Baskerville is an Australian entrepreneur who likes to call himself “a New Venture Architect.” Peter recently discussed the traits and characteristics required for success as an entrepreneur in a Google Knol. The Knol was entitled: Characteristics of an Entrepreneur: The A to Z of the characteristics of an entrepreneur. You can access this Knol through the linked quote above.

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization

“David McCandless turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world.”

Gary Flake: Is Pivot a turning point for web exploration?

“Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing.”

Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff

“It may seem that big problems require big solutions, but ad man Rory Sutherland says many flashy, expensive fixes are just obscuring better, simpler answers. To illustrate, he uses behavioral economics and hilarious examples.”