Last week was my first ever Copy Chief Live.
Well, it was virtual. Haven’t been to my first LIVE Live yet.
But it was packed full of great presentations. I enjoyed all the ones I could make it to, but a few stood out as my favorites.
One was the Freelancer Finances presentation. Being an accounting major, it really held my attention.
But what really stood out to me was something Mike Michalowicz discussed in his presentation.
His presentation was all about standing out from the crowd of other businesses.
And the best way to do that would be…
Be Different
That simple.
But vague. What does that mean?
See what everyone else in your niche is doing…
And do the opposite.
Mike had a genius example:
Most copy-savvy businesses use plain-text emails in their email marketing. White text on a black background, or vice-versa.
Now, imagine you want to stand out from them. What if you did same-color text-on background? Such as white text on a white background.
At first, you’d think, “how the hell do you read that?”
Well, he thought it through another step and remembered that when you highlight the text, it creates a blue background…
Kind of like a magic marker.
What if you then did a “magic marker” email?
You introduced the email with “use your magic marker cursor to reveal the secret message in this email.”
Now, you just stood out from the crowd by doing something unorthodox.
But in this specific example, you also:
- Built curiosity
- Built some exclusivity (the whole “you got a secret message” type of vibe)
- Gained a “micro-committment” from the reader ā A classic psych principal where if you get someone to take some sort of action, they’re more likely to buy
This is just one example you can add to your arsenal for occasional use.
The bigger point here is to find ways you can successfully defy industry norms and make money doing it.
A Note
Of course, being different for the sake of being different doesn’t always work.
You want to master the fundamentals first ā and even then, trying out something new could crash and burn.
But that’s no reason to be dissuaded.
Marketing is about testing new ideas.
At worst, you can yank the idea if it’s not working.
But at best, you stick out like a sore thumb (in a good way) and get stuck in your customers’ minds.
Be Different From the Crowd
My biggest takeaway from Copy Chief Live is that you should try to do what most in your field aren’t doing.
And, as a former accountant, I feel that. I’m a numbers guy with a numbers background, working in a creative field.
It pays to be different.
Want a creative brain in your corner, helping you find ways to be different and stand out?