Everyone does it.

Sneak a peek at what competitors are doing…

(what did you think I was talking about?)

So you end up…

Trying to guess how they pulled off their latest promotion or launch.

Using their pricing and services as a benchmark for yours. (Which creates an unbreakable glass ceiling in your industry).

Wondering how they run their business because on the outside it looks a whole lot smoother than yours.

Ruminating on unanswerable questions like: what’s their secret? What are they doing to get it right?

When you can’t seem to get any traction whatsoever.

Then model your own business on that competition.

This is a conversation I have with many of my clients. It’s a common thing to do. It’s natural to think that if it’s (apparently) working for your competitors it’s going to work for you too.

Nu-uh.

Honestly, you should be looking elsewhere for your inspiration if you want to make your business stand above the rest.

Following everyone else in your industry just makes you the same as everyone else

There’s no point of differentiation.

So, let’s get real.

First of all there’s NO TELLING what is really going on behind the scenes of your competitor. Maybe their latest promo flopped. Maybe their sales suck. Maybe they’re on their last legs.

You can’t tell.

Plus, spying on competitors is the quickest way to spiral downwards into a pit of self doubt;

She’s better than me; I’ll never be as successful as her; I wish my website was as glossy…

Which mostly leads to inaction and generally feeling shitty.

The questions you should be asking yourself

Copy-catting competitors is a mistake. It makes you vanilla, middle-of-the-road, blah-blah-blah, just another [insert expertise here] in a sea of sameness.

Instead of modelling your business on your competitors the questions you should be asking yourself are:

What are you going to do to stand out above your competition?

What can you do differently?

How can I better serve my customers in a way that’s aligned with my values, goals and bigger vision of my business and life?

The BEST place to start is by looking at brands you love

The brands you buy from regularly, the ones that make you say YES! Then, figure out how you can adapt their marketing ideas for your own business.

For instance…

One of my favourite brands is Innocent.

They make healthy bottled drinks – juices and smoothies. One of the first companies to bring smoothies mainstream in the UK in 1999, they innovated the bottled drinks market in the UK and many others have followed since.

I wrote about them here.

I absolutely love their relaxed, fun and totally honest style of communicating. They’re not afraid to poke fun at themselves and admit when they make a mistake in a way that is full of personality. It’s like having a cosy chat with a buddy. And it’s everywhere from their bottle labels to their blog.

They inspire me to inject my own personality into everything I do in a similar way

No bs, occasional cussing, over-excited about odd things and a bit goofy.

You’ll get the same communication style from me whether it’s on social media, my website and blog, an in person workshop, if I’m speaking on stage, or you’re a client.

Because I do me better than anyone else. Just like Innocent does and SO DO YOU.

Another brand crush…

Anthropolgie.

Other than loving their eclectic style which is like nothing else on the high street (gift buying hint anyone?!). The thing that stands out for me is the pop up opt in on their website. You know that little box that pops up asking you to do x if you want y?

These little buggers are controversial. Most people HATE them but the truth is, they work.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of website pop ups

Most of the time when I first visit a website and the pop up appears, I click on that ‘x’ in the corner without even reading it.

Because in that exact moment I’m not interested in doing anything else except whatever I’ve come for.

After I’ve done whatever-that-is, if I’m so wowed by my experience on their site, I’ll hunt down an opt in box to subscribe.

And yet, the pop up on Anthropologie caught my attention.

It’s concise, friendly in tone and took no time to read. The welcome headline drew me in immediately and kinda gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling (What can I say? I do marketing – that kind of stuff turns me on.)

Now, that’s the kind of pop up that I like!

No waffly, marketing talk cliches – just straight to the point and simple.

These are just 2 examples of brands in different markets that inspire me. There are loads of others, and I encourage you to find the same for you.

Next time you’re shopping, surfing the web or interacting with a brand – bring awareness to it. If it makes you feel good, why and how? What is it about that interaction that you like? And, how can you bring that into your own brand?

I want to hear from you.

Tell me in the comments below some of your favourite brands. And if you can, how they inspire you in your business. GO!