I have a friend who has a kitten in his house. One time, he tied a ball with the ends of a string so that his kitten will have something to play with.

When left with something to play with, such as a ball tied to a string, a kitten can spend hours and hours chasing after it. It is an interesting sight to see, the kitten running and running, busy in its pursuit of the ball. The thing is, you have to know the difference between being busy and getting things done. The kitten is just busy playing and having fun but it isn’t really accomplishing anything.

This led me to think about some of my clients and their approach in internet marketing.

To paraphrase President Abraham Lincoln, “It isn’t enough to ask if we are busy; we must ask ‘what are we busy at’ “?

It is similar to how many internet marketers work nowadays; online niche marketers and brick and mortar marketers alike. They are busy spending many hours and effort on their internet marketing strategies --- SEO, SMM, PPC and all the latest and most popular tips and tricks in the industry. No one’s taken the time out to stop and ask themselves, “What am I really accomplishing? What am I busy at?”

The true measure of how worthy an activity is can be seen in the results. Has the objective been realized? Assuming of course that an objective had been set prior to the particular activity.

Here’s the thing: Your marketing goals can only be achieved if you’re focused on your marketing activities. Quit running after the ball on the string. Focus on these five steps to reach your marketing objectives:

1. Pick one marketing activity at a time (like Pay Per Click) that will help you get closer to achieving your marketing goals

2: Stick to that particular activity until you master it

3: Measure your results

4: Carry on with the activity as long as you see that it’s effectively propelling you towards your goals; if it’s not working, chuck it

5: When you have mastered that activity and it is giving you the results that you are aiming for, add another activity (like SEO)