Double-O Evan Creative Advertising

𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦-𝘖 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰:

Most businesses do little to distinguish themselves from competitors. They appear to prospects as substitutable commodities, instead of the flip-side:

𝗢𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

So, how do you go from an indistinguishable 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 to a valued 𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆?

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦!

Indeed, saying 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 achieves 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. Businesses tend to say many things across their websites and marketing channels (the 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 things competitors say). And little (if any) of it is meaningfully conveyed or developed.

Please – stop spewing vague generalities. They carry no weight.

Fewer things – communicated more thoughtfully – will always have greater impact.

So here's some parting advice:

Decide 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 (just ONE thing), and then take complete ownership of it through your marketing.

Put it into 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 for your prospects... otherwise they won't see it.

𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝙞𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨:

“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.”

- Stan Lee

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People are entitled to their opinions...
..and you are entitled to 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦 them.

Many people talk about subjects they know nothing about, simply because they want to appear smart.

Most have deeply ingrained biases that cloud their judgment and perspective.

Others simply don't want you to achieve greater success than them.

This is why, when you're trying to achieve something that's never been done, goes against the grain, or sets you apart from everyone else, you must be 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵.

You must be willing to accept criticism and dismissal.

Many laughed when Walt Disney proposed the idea of a theme park built around cartoon characters. Or when Jeff Bezos quit his Wall Street job to sell books online.

Heck, 12 publishers turned down J.K. Rowling before Harry Potter took off.

Not every idea is a good one, of course. But outside criticism is an insufficient barometer for making that determination.

If you really, truly, genuinely believe in something, don't hold back...

Take a big swing. The only two outcomes are success or a learning experience.

Many service-based businesses have a false sense of security.

If asked what sets them apart from their competition, they typically respond with some version of "We do good work."

This may refer to quality. It may refer to service.

In any case, it doesn't matter much. Because the truth is, the competition – in most cases – performs at or near the same level (indiscernible as far as the customer is concerned).

So what businesses think sets them apart is nothing more than wishful thinking. Doing a "good job" isn't a differentiator. It's simply the ante for being in the game.

Differentiation rarely happens by accident. 𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝘆𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯.

You must be intentional about it and take deliberate steps to create it.

Yes, this takes some effort. It takes some strategy. But it's not complicated...
..and the juice is worth the squeeze.

Download my FREE eBook "The Art of Standing Out" to discover how you can set your business apart as a valued 𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 (link to download is in the comments section below).

𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝙞𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨:

“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴?”

- The Joker (The Dark Knight)

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Heath Ledger's Joker in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 was a mad lunatic.

But he was also brilliant. And his words could be deceivingly profound in some instances, like when he said "𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨?".

This happens to be a worthwhile question in relation to marketing.

I'm not suggesting you act like the Joker. But a little personality and character can serve your marketing well, when you're trying to build a connection with your audience.

Businesses often take themselves too seriously. And their communication ("About" pages are a prime example) is correspondingly corporate and institutional sounding, which is 𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

Heath Ledger's Joker was anything but, which is why we're still talking about him over 17 years later. That's a lasting impression...
..and all he did was be himself.