How to stand out in a crowded market
Master the topic, message and delivery
I woke up at 6 am feeling both excited and anxious. After breakfast, I picked up my Gibson guitar and headed off to catch the train from Bath to Paddington. A tube ride and short walk later, I stood on the Millennium Bridge over the Thames. An office block behind Tate Modern was my destination. After coffees and a chat, scheduled events got underway. When it was my turn, I nervously took a chair at the front, removed my guitar from its case and faced the audience. My first song, Good Riddance, went down well. Next, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life got the audience singing. I was feeling confident as I got to my final piece. However, as I belted out the words to Peter Sarstedt’s classic Take Off Your Clothes, it became apparent that eye contact with the audience was limited. On reflection, it may not have been my wisest song choice. Years later, my work colleagues said it was one of the most memorable team meetings they had ever attended.
Getting past the brain’s bouncer
The limbic system helps filter out distractions and irrelevant details, allowing us to focus on the stimuli that are most important for survival and well-being. - John Ratey
The limbic system in the human brain acts like a bouncer, filtering out most information and only allowing a small amount in. We don’t remember people we pass on a crowded street as our brains filter them out as irrelevant. In the same way, potential customers ignore most of the messages they encounter, including ours. This begs the question: How do we get past the brain’s bouncer at the door? There are five ways: 1. Scary, 2. Strange, 3. Sexy, 4. Free gifts and 5. Familiar.
Scary, strange and sexy
Sex sells because it speaks to people on a very primal level, triggering emotional responses that are often irresistible. - Sally Hogshead
Our brains are effective at detecting scary and threatening things. This is part of our survival instinct. The News as business model uses this approach by telling us about bad things.
If we drive past a blue concrete cow in a field then we will notice it. It’s strange and beckons us to investigate.
A sexy person walking along the path will draw our attention.
Few businesses want to be known for being scary, strange or exploiting sexual attraction, but it does work for some.
Free gifts
Free gifts are not just about the immediate value they offer but about building a long-term relationship with customers by creating a positive first impression. - Gary Vaynerchuk
Imagine walking down the street and being offered beautifully crafted chocolates for free; we’d likely accept. The giver bypasses our natural filters by offering something valuable at no cost. In the digital world, this could be free information, content, methods or stories. Steven Bartlett shares a wealth of free content through his Diary of a CEO, contributing to his global success. We can apply the same strategy by offering free content through podcasts, social media posts and blogs. The presentation is crucial. If you gave someone nice jewellery in a plastic bag, it wouldn’t be perceived as a thoughtful gift. However, if it’s presented in a beautiful box with a bow, it feels special. The same principle applies when giving away free content. It needs to be well packaged. Use a well-designed landing page, include videos, testimonials or reviews to highlight its value. When people opt in to receive free content by providing their details, they perceive it as more valuable. Therefore, offering free content is effective, but only if it’s presented correctly. I choose to share my A Bit Gamey blog post and podcast on Substack as I love it’s clean design.
Familiar
Familiarity helps in breaking down the barriers of skepticism; when something feels familiar, it feels safer and more trustworthy to consumers. - Daniel Kahneman
When we see people frequently, our brain increasingly recognises them as special. Spotting someone we know on a busy street boosts our energy and likelihood to say hello. This is the power of familiarity. To build trust in our business, it's important to make ourselves familiar to people so they recognise who we are and what we represent. Robin Dunbar suggests that seven hours of interaction is crucial for trust while Google indicates that 11 positive interactions are necessary for a brand to stand out. By accumulating these hours and interactions, people will start to know and trust us. To facilitate this, our business should offer enough online content, such as videos, podcasts, blogs and books, allowing people to engage with our brand multiple times. The focus should be on creating connections with more people rather than merely being different. I am lucky to have a number of people who regularly engage with my content on Substack, Reddit and LinkedIn.
Other resources
Multi-million Dollar Mindset interview with Daniel Priestley
Finding Our Initial Customers post by Phil Martin
Key Influencer in 5 Steps post by Phil Martin
Daniel Priestley sums it up. The marketplace is noisy. To get noticed you need to package your ideas in a way that cuts through the noise and speaks directly to the people who need to hear it.
Have fun.
Phil…
