About this column
Our readers and clients ask the BEST questions — and we want to answer them! Dear Abby (& The Voice Bureau) is a regular feature in which we take on a commonly asked question from one of our readers or clients (sans identifying information, of course) and give our whole community a chance to hear our response, then add their perspective in the comments.
Help! My competitor just launched her website and she’s bringing the exact same message to the same Right Person.
Dear Abby (& The Voice Bureau) —
Someone I really like (and respect) just launched her new website, and we have the same. Right. Person. I couldn’t have expressed my message better myself! My brand voice will probably sound a little different from hers, but not much.
I’m not sure quite what to do about this. I don’t want to copy her AND she is feeling like a long lost soul sister who manifested almost exactly what was in my head, heart, and soul. I’m moving forward into writing the copy for my site, and I need some perspective here.
Signed,
Mirror Image Message
Abby (& The Voice Bureau) Says
Dear Mirror Image Message —
Here’s the best way to look at this: in this phase of bringing your new brand online, it’s best to NOT look around at peers, colleagues, or competitors. Just, as they say, “do YOU” and focus on learning more about your signature mix of Voice Values and how they meet the needs of your Right Person. (If you work with The Voice Bureau on web copy, you’ll learn more about your Right Person in the Creative Brief we’ll craft to guide the project.)
There will always be other brands and providers who are serving the same Buyer Type as you, and even delivering a solution that’s in the ballpark of what you do — but no one else will do it exactly the same way you do. The online world is vast, and there’s room for all!
We won’t look at your competitor’s stuff as we move forward. Our focus is entirely on getting to know your Right Person and why she would want to buy from YOU — and then expressing that in the copy so she can see herself there: unmistakably, and authentically.
Talk with you soon.
Abby (& The Voice Bureau)
In the comments, we’d love to know:
Have you experienced something similar to Mirror Image Message? Have you watched a competitor, colleague, or peer come forth with a very similar message in a way that reminds you of how YOU’D deliver it? How did you react? What did you do? Share with us in the comments so we can learn from you.
Hello, you.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh man, I’ve totally been in this boat. It feels exciting and nauseating at the same time. As you say, I’ve drastically cut back on the browsing and poking around and “researching” I used to do so that someone’s words/ideas don’t accidentally leak into my brain space.
However, when I do see something that is so familiar to my inside thoughts, I do two things–one, think about the ways in which I’m different. Is this really *exactly* how I’d do it? Or is there an idea that is more in alignment with my brand proposition that will be even more me. And the second is to give credit where credit is due. I just recently read a phrase on a blog that perfectly encapsulates something I’ve been thinking about, so if/when I decide to talk about it, I’ll refer credit for the phrase back to this person to share the love.
Miki, I like your well-measured approach: look for natural differentiators and use someone else’s idea (with credit) to help develop, support, and nuance your own. That’s how it’s done!
Mike~
I also appreciate your tact. I do get nauseous when I see similar messaging (and it’s fascinating to see how pervasive this situation is). I appreciate your point about giving credit. I often look at potential competitors as collaborators and, like you, see how we’re different, even complementary. There’s usually some differences in the image being provoked, the skill set or heritage, or scope of offerings. I do my best to convert envy into admiration.
I do think an educated field study is smart and am curious to hear more about Abby’s take on this. In my view, one of the first steps of claiming one’s profession is admitting what field one is playing in. That’s pretty intimidating, but I’m a fan of resilience-building.
Hi, Jeffrey! I totally agree with this: one of the first steps of claiming one’s profession is admitting what field one is playing in. All too often, solo and small business owners lack awareness of the Important Conversation they’re entering when they bring a new brand online. We (at The Voice Bureau) are huge advocates for being aware of the existing conversation, its relevance and meaningfulness to your Right Person, and becoming clear about what you (as a brand/business/person) contribute to this conversation that is fresh and helpful. But once our clients are clear on these elements, we believe it’s important to look away for a while and focus on building out a brand conversation to support the relationship they want to have with their Right People. It’s not wholly useful to compulsively study or fixate on other people’s conversations (not saying you are advocating for this, either!) when you’re trying to build out your own.
Abby~ Your approach makes complete sense. Thanks for taking the time to clarify. Yes – fixation and obsession leads to insecurity, envy, resentment – blech. The authors I work with go through a similar process of checking out the comparables and competition – and then putting them aside so they can write their own book.
Cheers,
Jeffrey
Wow, now you’ve got me thinking about the challenge authors face when writing their books, regardless of genre. Talk about a competitive landscape!
Very competitive. And authors often go through this duplicate process of, “Crap! Someone’s written my book!” It turns out that’s usually not true, or if it is it’s useful data.
This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart as several months ago I felt the language and brand image I was evolving for my website was too similar to other copywriters on the web. It took a lot of heart-felt soul searching to figure out the true angle of how I want to appear online (as well as developing some new interests and deepening others). Oddly enough, the new image I’ve chosen for myself is something I once considered a weakness.
Oddly enough, the new image I’ve chosen for myself is something I once considered a weakness.
Kristy, I love the boldness and bravery of this approach! It’s empowering to be able to look at perceived weaknesses and reframe them as gifts — which, I’ve no doubt, they ARE where you are concerned! Looking forward to hearing more about what you’re working on over there.
I’ve felt that sickening lurch in my stomach caused by someone talking about ‘my’ favorite topic in almost exactly the way I’d talk about it. When my message was blurry and partly formed I experienced that phenomenon a lot more frequently. It used to piss me off, then I’d remind myself I don’t have a monopoly on information or creativity. I think to myself, “How am I different?” Usually I’d have a clear difference, but it was one I felt shy about revealing. Another person sounding like me is usually a challenge for me to up my game.
It used to piss me off, then I’d remind myself I don’t have a monopoly on information or creativity.
Oh, Janina, I can so relate to this. I have to remind myself of the same thing from time to time!
I think this is a really important topic because so many people struggle with it SO much. Here’s a slightly different take, and something I’ve blogged about a bit and intend to more: People hire you for YOU. Of course there will always be a half-dozen other people out there on the internet that look and sound like you on the surface, but at the end of the day, people will choose you because something about YOU specifically resonates with them. That’s why it’s so important to be really genuine in the way you show up as a professional. (You may want to check out a post I wrote on Medium that got a lot of attention: http://ow.ly/nV6Gl) Think about it: when you go to a yoga studio, all of the teachers teach yoga but you may not love every one of them. More often than not, you gravitate towards classes taught by a particular teacher because you like their style, pace, methods of guiding the class, etc. We choose service providers because something about them resonates with us on a personal level. If you’re skeptical, ask yourself what made you choose someone the last time you worked with a service-based professional. Was it just because their website looked nice and had the right message? Or was it because there was something about them that sat well with you? Branding and message is just the first point of contact. How you show up in your business is the meat and potatoes that will attract your loyal (and Right) people. That’s my two cents!
Hey, Heather —
So glad you weighed in on this loaded topic. I LOVE hearing that you’re getting ready to dive into this topic — competition, or comparison — with even more nuance. We need this conversation!
I agree with you that visual brand identity and web copy are just the first points of contact for establishing relationship with Right People readers and clients. However, for an online-based business, most biz owners have the goal of having their site do a lot (if not most) of the work of marketing and selling for them. So (and of course you know this, being a web worker yourself), that cohesive impression is very important. And I agree that a brand’s suite of signals is so much more than just a site.
I really like your _Medium_ post. Well done!
I shared some thoughts a while back on reclaiming the word ‘competitor’ from the dirty pile in this post in the Voice Bureau G+ Community (readers may have to request to join in order to see it):
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103774443548792338761/posts/QGJQpyewZts
I agree with Heather AND Abby. This is a hard one, especially for women! I think its just in the female nature to be competitive with other women. I think the advice of not looking around is solid and advice I need to consistently remind myself of. As people and as women and even as entrepreneurs, we are constantly changing, evolving. I think it’s important not to get so wrapped up in it because no two people are exactly alike. Similar, perhaps, but not the same.
The spirit of competition redoubles, too, because we “live” in such close proximity to everyone else we could compare ourselves to — our “competitors'” sites are never more than a click away!
Glad this perspective feels welcome to you, Morgan. It’s something I need to remind myself of often, too.