Ray Kroc built the McDonald’s empire from a single prototype in San Bernardino into a business behemoth that serves around 64 million customers every single day. While I’m not a fan of the food, I am a fan of the man behind it. Here’s one reason why…

There’s a plaque inside a sealed glass case at Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres, which he bought in 1974). On it is a quote from Mr. Kroc that not only applies to success in life, but to content marketing as well.

Press On

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Consider these words when planning your content strategy. I don’t care how brilliant your blog posts, white papers or webinars are. In the short term, talent and genius make comparatively little difference.

It’s the evolution over time, the combined total greater than the sum of its parts, that leads to the real rewards of content marketing. It’s the commitment to see it through for the long haul that will bring the payoff. It takes time to work out the kinks, to find your voice, to come up with topics worth writing about.

It takes time to build an audience.

This, of course, is exactly how it should be. Think Seth Godin’s The Dip. The rewards are at the other end of the struggle, of the resistance, of the time when it seems like it’s all effort with no reward.

While others quit, get bored, lose focus or become distracted with the next shiny object, you’ll be the one left standing. The one that earned your audience’s trust over time by committing to creating incredible content, even when that audience could be counted on less than 10 fingers.

Press On.

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