Ivisited your company website today . I spent less than ten seconds on your home page and then exited the browser altogether . I was bored before I even got a sense of what you offer . In fact , I still don ’ t know what you offer . And I ’ m not the only one . On average , people spend only seconds on a website before they decide to invest more time , or leave . This means businesses have a very short window to capture their customers ' attention and give them a reason to stick around .
If the home page of your website reads the same way that every other home page reads , you ’ re losing customers . You ’ re just another boring company in your industry , you sound like everyone else , and you ’ re not impressing anyone . Now , to be fair , not every brand is “ boring ” in their messaging . My guess is that only 95 % are , and it ’ s giving us all a bad rep ( kidding , of course . . . maybe not ).
These days , business owners are so focused on “ checking the boxes ” that they think they ’ re supposed to check : setting up Google Ads ; sending out newsletters ; and finalizing basic , boring ad campaigns in an attempt to showcase that they ’ re somehow better than their competitors . My advice ? If you really want to stand out and create a company that scales in the marketplace , stop competing to be better . Instead , compete to be different .
Setting your brand and your company apart requires some risk . Be controversial . Take a stand . Be vulnerable . Be intentional . Connect with the messaging you ’ re putting out in the world , even if you ’ re nervous it might not be everyone ’ s cup of tea . In fact , if you ’ re putting out a piece of content that you ’ re not at least a little nervous about offending someone , you may want to rethink it . In a world of rinse-and-repeat consumer interactions , customers are hungry for something different , something that makes them think , something that makes them feel . Be that something . Let me show you how .
EARLY LESSONS IN BRANDING
The most important things I learned about business , I learned from my parents . When I was still a teenager , living through the ’ 80s fashion trends ( that are coming back today ), my dad took me to a business conference with him . Back then , the big thing for business owners was mastering radio ads .
At the conference , one of the keynote speakers was a marketer who asked the audience , “ How many people spend time thinking about different radio stations they ’ re going to place ad spots with ?” Everyone in the room raised their hands . Even as a teen , I knew how much time my dad spent thinking about radio advertising .
Then , the marketer asked , “ How many of you write your own ads for those coveted radio spots ?” Every . Single . Hand . Dropped . Today , the very same phenomenon happens , just in a broader range of marketing channels . Business owners are so focused on what types of ads to spend their money on , or which platforms are the most effective , that they forget to invest the same care into the most important part — the message itself !
To add to the business teachings I learned from my dad , my mom — of course — was there to reinforce the same ideals . Growing up , she always said , “ If you can ’ t say anything nice , don ’ t say anything at all .” What she meant was , “ If you don ’ t have value to say , don ’ t waste their time .” This concept stuck with me from my childhood into the career I have today , and it ’ s something I wish more people learned early on .
BEING A GOOD BUSINESS OWNER DOES NOT MAKE YOU A GOOD MARKETER
Every business owner is passionate about what they ’ re selling ; you won ’ t survive in the world of entrepreneurship if that ’ s not the case . So yes , if you ’ re still around , you ’ re obviously good at what you do . But being a good business owner is not the same thing as being a good marketer . Marketing is a skill that you have to hone ; a practice you have to commit to continuously improving .
When people visit your website or read your ads on Google , they don ’ t know about how good of a business owner you are . They don ’ t know how you invest in your staff . They don ’ t know how you support your community . They don ’ t know how long you ’ ve spent investing in making your product what it is . None of that matters . All they see is the content that ’ s in front of them , and you better make sure it tells them what they need to hear and is interesting enough to capture their attention .
BOLD ENOUGH TO BE DIFFERENT ? YOU ’ VE GOT OPTIONS
If you ’ re ready to spend as much time on your branding and marketing as you do on every other aspect of your business , you ’ re in the right place . There are plenty of ways to get potential customers >>
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