I have a new compulsion. I can’t stop checking my AdWords stats.
I’ve been considering AdWords for awhile now – as something to learn and implement in the future when I was “ready.” But something about reading Timothy Ferriss’s The Four-Hour Work Week (review forthcoming) put a bee in my bonnet to do it now. And one Saturday afternoon later I had launched a very cheap, very messy, very amateur, but completely fascinating Google AdWords campaign.
As of this writing, my ads have appeared over 2,000 times in less than 48 hours. Now, only a tiny fraction have been clicked and none of those clicks have been converted (obviously I need to refine my marketing strategy), but … 2,000 times! I know the web is a big place with lots of people looking for lots of stuff and I’m quickly gaining proper perspective on the numbers, but it feels like a lot. As numbers go, it’s way more intoxicating than looking at my web or blog stats. The instant feedback is quite compelling – and a very fast teacher.
Which is why I’m glad I dove in sooner rather than later. Having witnessed the potential power of AdWords, I now get just how integrated my campaign needs to be with my services and products and how they are presented on my website. And that’s really good information to know before I revise my web content (a project soon to be undertaken) – because I would have done it wrong. Well, not wrong, but it would have required further rethinking and revisions which would make the earlier work feel like a waste of time.
The more I just dive into things, the more often I try without having it all planned out ahead of time, the more I’m glad I’ve done so. It feels a little scary and a little irresponsible, but I learn so much more this way. It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but this approach actually saves me grief in the long run. For Planner Girl, this is a huge lesson in loosening my grip.
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Is lack of a sure-fire plan or paralysis-by-analysis holding you back? Are fear and perfectionism keeping you from introducing or implementing new and essential elements in your business? Just try it. Take the first immediate step. [ Okay, you probably want to look for rocks before you jump and make sure the water isn't glacially cold, but if it seems relatively safe - step off the edge! ] Once you do so, the next steps will be more clear and sure. More in this week’s newsletter.
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