If you’re like most small business owners, you may often ask: “how do I stand out from my competitors?” There are an endless firehose of small businesses in any given market. How do you get noticed? The answer lies in one small shift that can make a BIG difference…
A Lesson in Conformity
I want to tell you a story about a phenomenon I call: the Acceptance Handcuffs.
When I was about 13, I moved from Toronto to the suburbs. One day, about 6 months after the move, I planned a visit back to Toronto to see some friends and family.
I was so excited!
And I remember thinking hard about what I wanted to wear. I picked out a kelly green corduroy jacket that had removable sleeves. I took off the sleeves and wore an acid washed jean jacket underneath.
So, I get to Toronto and my friend suggests that we walk up to the school to meet up with more people. When we got there one of the boys looked me up and down, laughed at my jacket and said, “That went out of style like a year ago!”
I was so embarrassed I took off my jackets and left them behind on the dirty playground.
Conforming is a really big part of how we grow up. We conform to gain acceptance from our peers. But conforming erases the very things that make us uniquely who we are.
Right now, in your industry, there’s a look, sound and feel. I bet if you look at the things you say, the look of your website and how you communicate what you do you’ll see you’re conforming, not contrasting.
Why we need to Contrast
Contrast is the key to differentiating your brand. That’s because we pay attention to things that are novel. We ignore the mundane. In order to stand out, you must look, sound and feel different from the expected.
This might seem like an obvious concept, but how often do you actually see brands push these boundaries?
Bottom line
There are only so many slots in any market. If you aren’t differentiating your brand in some way, you are simply going to be drowned out by the rest of the pack. It doesn’t matter how great your product is or how much passion you have for your business. If you aren’t differentiating your brand in some way, you simply won’t stand out.
