Not All That Glitters is Gold – What’s Shiny Object Syndrome?
The term “Shiny Object Syndrome” refers to what is often seen as a pitfall for newcomers to online marketing. They keep buying products irrespective of whether they are useful or worthwhile.
Online offerings of informational products, courses, and training sessions often have ritzy sales pages that depict making money online with minimal effort.
They employ flashy visuals of lavish mansions, luxurious cars, and more, implying an entrepreneurial lifestyle that could even provoke envy among the rich and famous.
Be warned!
This is far from accurate.
Sales pages like this are aimed at attracting unsuspecting newbies, and often do.
The reality, though, is that making money online is much more challenging than holding a traditional job.
The real benefits to you are the time freedom you get from working online and the “sky’s the limit” income potential.
Seeking A Quick Fix.
As a newbie to online marketing, you will be tempted to buy a particular product because you think it will be the answer to your prayers.
You hate your JOB or your BOSS and you just want to get away from the 9 to 5 drudges.
The product you just bought will give you everything you need to make it happen. Not so.
The sales page of your new shiny object tells you exactly what you want to hear.
It will craft an idyllic scenario of a utopian lifestyle, where money flows constantly and you achieve financial freedom.
Through persuasive sales language, many marketers successfully divert your attention and persuade you to buy something, even when it’s not really what you want or need.
Thus, the shiny object syndrome is alive and well and you keep being sucked in.
The Allure Of False Promises.
The alluring promises of easy money made in these sales pages creates unrealistic expectations for newbies. Such as making money online is a “piece of cake”.
Therefore, when you purchase one of these courses and get started, you find that everything is not as it seemed.
You actually need to learn new concepts, write content, build a website and engage in a range of other activities.
” Oh no”, you think, this is much more WORK than I realized.
Your hopes of easy money are dashed. So, what do you do now?
Of course, you seek out the next shiny object that will help you fulfill your dreams. Then you forget about and discard what you were working on and start anew.
Stop Making Emotional Purchases.
Misidentifying emotions as thoughts represents a huge blunder and contributes to shiny object syndrome.
Use thoughtful consideration of the product rather than make an emotional purchase.
You must be realistic about what you need and what it will do.
If you take the time to analyze what is said on the sales page, you will immediately see that most of it is absurd. The possibility of making “$5,216.99 for 30 minutes work” is definitely baloney.
If it were true, why would the vendor not just keep doing it for himself every 30 minutes? Why would he waste time creating elaborate sales pages to suck you in?
Use your brain, think logically, not emotionally. If it sounds too good to be true – it usually is.
Goal Setting Will Help You Avoid The Pitfalls.
Goal setting is a vital component of starting a successful online business.
Your goal, or goals, should not only be associated with money, but should take into consideration your WHY.
- What we mean is, why do you want to work online and make money?
- Is it because you want financial freedom?
- Perhaps you want to put the kids through college?
- Do you want the time freedom that working-from-home will give you?
There are many reasons why you may want to embark on this journey.
Then you must tie your WHY into a financial goal. This is the only way to achieve your dream. You can measure your progress against your stated goal.
By setting this activity in motion, you will make yourself accountable. Thus, you will be unlikely to go and buy a product that is totally unrelated to your named goal.
You will avoid the next shiny object that comes your way.
The road to failure is littered with shiny objects.
One of the main dangers for newcomers to the online world is not knowing what you don’t know and, therefore, not knowing what you want.
Once you focus your dreams and get into goal setting, you will be less likely to fall into the abyss.
Don’t buy useless products.
This is how you can stay focused and avoid shiny object syndrome.
By working diligently towards your goal, you will be on the road towards success.
Final Thoughts On Not All That Glitters Is Gold – What’s Shiny Object Syndrome.?
So, now you understand how easy it is to be sidetracked, you should be able to avoid getting sucked in to the shiny object syndrome.
We have given you some tools to understand what it is and how you can avoid it.
You should now:
- Understand that there is no quick fix to making money online.
- Avoid the allure of false promises made by marketers selling products.
- Stop making emotional purchases and start thinking logically.
- Set goals that you can work towards.
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This is a very informative article on how not to get distracted when trying to make money online. I have been searching for a side hustle for some time now hoping to make a little extra each month. This article has been very useful for me to understand some of the mistake I have previously been making. I have also understand why goal setting is so important to keep me on track. Kudos to the author for this very informative and useful post.
Hello Ebony, Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my article about “shiny object syndrome”. I am so glad that you found it useful and informative. Sometimes it is hard to decide what is a scam and what is not. Thank you. Best wishes, Jenni.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post on “Shiny Object Syndrome.” Your insights about the pitfalls newcomers to online marketing face are spot on. It’s refreshing to see you emphasize the importance of setting realistic goals and avoiding emotional purchases.
One question that comes to mind is, could you share a personal experience or example where you or someone you know fell victim to Shiny Object Syndrome and how they overcame it? Personal anecdotes can often make such valuable lessons even more relatable
Hi Alice, thanks for your comment about my article about falling victim to “shiny object syndrome’. Yes, I can actually share personal experience of being scammed online. You can find my other article about this called 5-Minute Profit Pages Review.