Are you actually unique and why should I care?

The one word that irks me more than any other is unique. It is not really the word - it is actually a satisfying word as there should be no real confusion about what it is. As a word it is perfect. It is when people (particularly in media) combine this word with words like so, mostly, quite etc that it grates. Unique is an absolute. Either it is unique or it isn't. It certainly does not come in shades of uniqueness. I believe this 110% - wait, I will discuss that horrendous misuse of percentages on another occasion.

Certainly people are unique, but I could quite easily go on about how derivative modern music is - or how every other act seems to be simply a pastiche of music from the last 4 decades, and that simply speaking through a vocoder or using auto-tune does not a "uniquely talented" singer make.

The current fashion dictates a new approach and yet you find yourself looking backwards as much as forwards and either reusing the techniques from the 80's or mimicking them online.

You can extend this out to most advertising on and offline and other forms of marketing.

Amusingly the best way to get someones attention I think is not with a pithy online blog or an enthusiastic email campaign. A letter and a phone call seems to almost be back in fashion. It was only a few years ago we received so much junk mail that you could place a rubbish bin under the hallway letterbox and cut out the effort of opening the pizza delivery, menu pamphlets or notes talking about cheap holidays in the sun. I think that this swing of the pendulum is normal and to be expected, as flares come in and out of vogue and skirt lengths rise and fall.

However I am not simply giving you an introduction to pedantry or a diatribe on fashion - I have a much wider point to make and then I will take it back to marketing letting you hopefully draw your own conclusions.

What exactly is unique about you, and why struggle to be entirely apart from the rest of mankind. From a marketing standpoint, to attract a client you must be similar enough to the mainstream to be recognisable. Being too different can actually hinder the sales process, as prospects struggle to identify what you are and how you fit into their paradigm.

So this blog post is a call for all businesses to cease attempting to find that which would make them unique. I firmly believe it is enough to be different to the norm, while still being recognisable.

I would suggest that before trying to market the latest iteration of your website, the newest formulation of your portal etc you look for the ways that it can be attractive to both innovators and the more conservative of firms. You should focus on what is similar to your competitors, and where your differentiation lies. This "difference" should ideally not be fluffy and conceptual .e.g. "We ensure that our clients get a fully bespoke and personalised experience"

If you provide a fluffy differentiation, it has no real substance. Instead look to provide one at least of the following:

• evidence of effectiveness and efficiency - "clients have reported up to 40% energy savings"
• case studies showing a marked change in state from before and after your involvement
• endorsement by a client who is similar in either size, vertical or otherwise to your prospect
• evidence of specialism in the same vertical as your prospect

Only then will your prospect have a reason to care.

In short find something interesting about what you do and promote it using endorsements and evidence so you are taken seriously.

To find out what would make your prospects care, contact Gareth Wax - www.callouttel.co.uk 07903509634