There’s an oft-quoted saying (allegedly by Albert Einstein) that says, “compounding interest is the most powerful force in the universe.”

Whether he actually said that or not, I’m not sure.

But if there is a most powerful force in marketing, it’s likely to be positioning.

I’ve talked about that at length, so this time I want to talk about what I deem to be the second most powerful force in marketing.

The second most powerful force in marketing (and maybe the universe) is consistency. 

Assuming you have figured out and relentlessly deliver on your Category of Onepositioning, the next thing to focus on is consistency.

Relentless consistency.

There’s a quote I frequently think about by Thomas Smith in a guide written in 1885 called Scientific Advertising.

You can replace the word “ad” from the excerpt below with any form of marketing you create.

To me, it perfectly exemplifies the need for consistency over time.

Here is the excerpt:

The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.

The second time, they don’t notice it.

The third time, they are aware that it is there.

The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.

The fifth time, they actually read the ad.

The sixth time they thumb their nose at it.

The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.

The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”

The ninth time, they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.

The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.

The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.

The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.

The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.

The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.

The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.

The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.

The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.

The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.

The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.

The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what is offering.

See what I mean by relentless consistency?

This is how you dominate market awareness. This is how you become known (and trusted) for what you do best.

It takes time, but the groundwork pays off.

Of course, you also need to deliver consistently on your Category of One promise. That’s why I included it the second step in the Category of One process.

If you’re going to compete with the WeWorks out there, you need to relentlessly out-deliver on your specific thing.

What is your Category of One positioning?

How do you over-deliver on and communicate it consistently over time, such that you become synonymous with what you promise?