The quickest way to tell someone your brand is ordinary is by telling them you’re unique. ‘Unique’ is an often overused, generalized idea – and the funny thing is, most of us think we’re unique, but we’re far from it. We’re iterations from a previous version. We’ve taken something and hopefully made it better, more useful, and more accessible. That’s good business. That’s good branding.
I think a more important question than “what?” is “how”? How are you unique? Is it how your product meets a specific need? Is it a service that may be offered by a million other options, but you bring your secret sauce and are defined by the process? What do you bring to the table that no one else does? If you can tap into that secret sauce, it’s solid gold. It’s what makes your business – your brand – distinctly yours.
Unique is nothing without the “how”. Unless you’ve discovered plutonium, and there truly is no other option (spoiler alert: there always is another option), the “how” is where the magic’s at. It’s where you’ll find what does, in fact, make you unique, or different, or better. It’s that unique value proposition that only you can offer in your own way – that’s what should be championed, bottled, and shared with the world.
Don’t give lip service to a cliché when you have a whole slew of actual projects and tangible results that show off to your unmatched brilliance, your intentional approach, and/or your product’s innovation. Don’t just tell me what you do, or even why you do it, show me how.
If you are, in fact, “unique,” don’t tell me. Show me. That’s when I’ll believe you. More importantly, that’s when your supporters, followers, fans, and customers will buy into what you’re selling.
– Matt
