When I worked in corporate, I had a boss who wanted everything done yesterday.

Nothing was ever fast enough for him. He expected things done ASAP on steroids. He wanted to see results immediately, if not sooner.

Some of these high-level execs are like that. They think they can bend time to their will. They bend everyone else to their will, so, naturally, they’d expect the clock to conform. 

But as with most things in life, you can’t rush a good thing. 

Take, for instance, planting a garden. I’m no green thumb, but if you plant a seed, nurture it, water it, eventually, it will grow. 

Farmers know this. The earth knows this. Senior-level corporate leaders usually don’t. Everything moves in cycles. You have to let things grow without taking score too early. 

The same applies to your marketing message. It may take a little tweaking and repositioning before you get to that sweet spot of forward momentum. The only way to do this is by focusing on consistency and not urgency.

Consistency means baby steps—lots of them, one right after the other. In marketing, it means doing something long enough to really determine if it’s working or not. It takes time to grow an email list, gain an audience on social, and learn your customers’ language. 

In the digital world, there’s a lot of focus on overnight successes. People who seem to be everywhere all of a sudden while you’re stuck still trying to reach customers and make sales. 

It’s very easy to get swept up in the sense of urgency, to go off running in the direction of your competitors without stopping to think if that’s the right move. At best, it will keep you busy and make you feel like something is happening. But the real progress happens slowly when you’re not looking.

The results happen when you’re taking consistent action toward your marketing goals, and then suddenly, the plant has shot up overnight. 

It’s not glamorous work. But if you’ve taken the time to be thoughtful about your brand messaging and consistent in how you market to your ideal customers, eventually, it will blossom.