Have an opinion
Somewhere along the way, having an opinion got a little scary. Maybe it's social media, cancel culture, or simply that we've gotten very good at seeing what everyone else thinks before deciding what we think.
Whatever the reason, there's a whole lot of sameness out there, and I think we're worse off for it.
Now, I'm not talking about being loud for the sake of being loud or taking someone else's hot take and calling it your own. I'm talking about developing an actual point of view. What do you believe works? What are you willing to say? After all, the old saying is true: You can't be all things to all people.
But for a long time, we tried.
When we started KR Squared, we worked across all kinds of industries. If we could help you market it, we'd take the meeting. And there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that. We did good work, met great people, and learned a ton along the way, but eventually, we made a decision. We would specialize in real estate, hospitality, and destination marketing. Those were the industries we understood deeply and knew we could bring something fresh to the table. We narrowed our focus, which, if you're trying to grow a business, sounds counterintuitive. Fewer potential clients? Smaller pool of opportunities? Brilliant…
Except something funny happened. We doubled our revenue.
Looking back, it makes perfect sense. The minute we stopped trying to be the right agency for everyone, we became a much better agency for the right people.
The same thing is true across all marketing industries.
Safe marketing tries very hard not to offend anyone. Take real estate. An agent might say, "Here are five beautiful neighborhoods to consider." Okay, fine. It provides information.
But someone with a point of view might say, "This might be the most underrated neighborhood." Now we're giving people something to think about.
And there's some compelling research behind saying what you mean. More than 75% of decision-makers and C-suite executives surveyed by Edelman and LinkedIn said thought leadership prompted them to research a product or service they weren't previously considering. Think about that. An original idea can get someone to consider something that wasn't even on their radar. Dang, that's powerful.
And yet, so much marketing is still built by looking sideways. What is the competitor saying? What's the latest trend? Sure, pay attention, but don't let it define who you are.
Nearly half of consumers say their favorite brands stand out on social media because they create original content. Keyword: ORIGINAL.
Will everyone agree with you? Dang, I hope not, because if your business, your marketing, or even your life is designed to appeal to absolutely everyone, chances are nobody will feel particularly strongly about it.
So find the things you believe in. Develop your own perspective. And don't be afraid to choose. Turns out, knowing who you aren't can be just as powerful as knowing who you are.
