How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market [Example Inside]
It doesn’t matter what you do, chances are there are lots of other people/businesses that do something similar…
On the surface – to your audience – it looks the same!
So how do you stand out?Â
Over the years I’ve heard different advice from gurus…
-> Meditate… We’re all one. There’s no competition. (Yeah, tell it to the repo guy towing away your car and the bank foreclosing on your house!)
-> Provide better stuff. (Good luck bending over backwards creating a better mouse trap only to find out your competitors are already doing it, too.)Â
-> Move the “free line”, meaning give your best stuff for free. (Genius idea – give away your profits hoping to fool people you’ve got better stuff when they pay. Then watch your competitors charge a fortune for the same stuff.)Â
I’m not saying don’t do those things. They’ve got their place.
But I’ve been there and done that. (Well, minus the “meditate and ignore the competition” move.) Let me tell you – most of the time it doesn’t get you any more business!
So how do you stand out?
There’s just one thing that your competitors can’t rip off: Your PERSONALITY
There’s just one thing that your competitors can’t rip off: Your PERSONALITY
Don’t have one? Get it!
Yep. A friend of mine recently said “fly your freak flag high” – I love it!
Whatever quirks you have – don’t hide them. Dial them by a factor of 10 to 100 and flaunt them!
It will definitely PET people.
It will bring on some haters.
And it will make you stand out and attract the kind of clients you absolutely love working with!
P.S. Oh, I almost forgot the “get cheesy” part…
You see, I often do my brainstorming meetings at Denny’s (if you don’t live in the USA, it’s a fast-food dinner.)
I love the place because I can sit there for hours and they don’t kick me out.
Last time I was there, I noticed this little omelet order sheet. (See the pic below.)
 I love how they turned something as common as ordering an omelet into a fun activity because of a crafty use of words.
My favorite one – step five – “get cheesy”.
It gives you an option to select your favorite “flavored fat” to top off your eggs!
Point here is this. There’s nothing unique about ordering an omelet and what goes on it. But they made it so by flaunting their cheesy personality!
Consider doing the same. It will boost your business.
What do you think? Do you agree? How do you fly your freak flag?
It’s so true. My #1 most well received blog post was about what Spiderman can teach you about online marketing. I showed my geeky side and people loved it. That’s when I realized that showing them my geeky and fun loving side was the way to keep my readers interested.
That’s a great example how “fly your freak flag”, Amanda. And it obviously works. At the end of the day our clients and prospects want to know WHO we really are. When we show it to them, the ideal clients step forward to work with us and others fall off – as they should.
Great info! Branding one’s self is important. You have a lot of excellent ideas. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.