There is one commonality among every successful web publisher or influential web personality:  persistence.  It’s so simple, yet so effective.

In networks, we find self-reinforcing virtuous circles. Each additional member increases the network’s value, which in turn attracts more members, initiating a spiral of benefits.

–Kevin Kelly

What Kevin is describing here is essentially a feedback loop.  Building one  into your web marketing is vital to be see results take off beyond the scope of simple arithmetic growth.  One of the most effective strategies for a content producer to build the feedback loop from scratch is to be persistent.

Persistence is devastatingly effective for web publishers

People become addicted to where they get their information, in a good kind of way.  Some writers are persistent enough to meet the demands of an audience thirsty for more, and over time that audience essentially grows itself.  This is only effective if someone’s thesis is interesting enough to spread.  The formula is simple:  content that spreads + persistently creating it = success.  Everything else you do is going to help contribute, but really those two elements are core to success.

Persistence is the cornerstone of building a digital reputation

Reputation isn’t the result of a piece of publicity garnered here and there randomly over the course of time by chasing media coverage.  It doesn’t work quite like that on the web, at least not how it did in traditional media.  A more effective strategy is to get others to come to you.  It’s effective because it scales and is self-reinforcing, creating that all important feedback loop.  The only way to become sought-after by media, bloggers, customers, or anyone in between is to be persistent in providing external value to the world around you.  It’s why content marketing is so effective.

Most will give up long before pushing through the dip

Seth Godin popularized the phrase the dip in 2007 in a short book of the same title.  Essentially the dip is a temporary setback that can be overcome with persistence.  An epiphany hit me when I read that book in one sit in the bookstore (sorry Seth, I own all your others) – that pushing through the dip itself  is actually the most satisfying part of all.  Persistence is key:  lean into it, and you can push through it.

It requires persistence to become an outlier

The dip is a similar idea to the thesis of Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, Outliers, which (simplified) claims that the key to success in any field is to a large extent a matter of practicing a specific task for 10,000 hours or more – essentially persistence.

Create processes which enable the amplification of persistent creativity

Persistence for the sake of efficiency in repetitive tasks anyone can do just isn’t valuable.  You can either outsource those tasks or automate them (and if you can’t automate now, you’ll be able to sooner rather than later).  But if you create the right kind of processes which by design enable the amplification of creativity you’ll be able to create digital products (of any variety – art, business, you name it) light years ahead of the competition.

Conclusion

Achieving persistence takes mental toughness, passion for what you’re doing and sacrifice in many aspects.  But in a world where many look for the easy way out, the quick fix, the short-term band aid, it’s an exceedingly effective play.

Related posts from The Future Buzz

Overthinking Is The Enemy Of Creatives

Make Every Communication Significant

Ignoring Others Is Necessary To Reach Your Potential

Related posts from around the web

Working towards the Triple Play (the last mile problem) (Marketing FM)

To blame the world or not to blame the world for your productivity? (Techno Theory)

Productivity 2.0: How the New Rules of Work Are Changing the Game (Zen Habits)

image credit:  Andrey Armyagov via Shutterstock (used with permission)