How To Stand Out in a Sea of Sameness
Be Your Own Flavour of Cupcake!
What do vanilla cupcakes have to do with you and your business?
If you have been following me for some time, you probably know that I am a big fan of baking analogies as they relate to your brand. Baking and branding both require just the right elements and chemistry in order to get the best (and tastiest) results. So I often talk about the ingredients that are required for your brand to stand out.
Imagine, if you will, a baking tray full of plain vanilla cupcakes…
There is nothing wrong with vanilla cupcakes, but for the purposes of this visualization, let’s keep them very basic and plain.
What if those cupcakes were representative of your industry?
How will you stand out in that sea of cupcakes? If all the cupcakes look the same, how do people make the decision as to which one to choose?
Chances are they will choose the one closest to them, or the one that is least expensive.
Now, imagine that each of these cupcakes has the opportunity to be decorated and to taste differently. One has a rainbow of colours, some are bursting with various flavours inside, each topped with various sprinkles and embellishments. Imagine you could choose from this delicious array of cupcakes, each with its own individual flavour.
With this ability to stand out, people will gravitate and choose the cupcake that they are most drawn to! Maybe they like the teal sprinkles, or are drawn to that mocha frosting drizzled with creamy caramel, or they reach for it because they know that it’s bursting with a mouth-watering strawberry filling inside?
This is how I want you to think about standing out as a brand.
If you look like every other cupcake in your industry, you are missing out on the opportunity to set yourself apart as unique.
If your business was a cupcake flavour, which flavour would it be?
Your personal experiences, education, qualities, and character are all a part of activating the appeal of your brand. Your difference calls out to those customers and clients who are looking for something that only you can provide.
A client of ours, Dr. Lisa Watson came to us ready for a rebrand. She is a beautiful and intelligent woman with bright, fiery hair, popping red lipstick, and a whole lot of spunk. Spicy chocolate cupcake anyone?
When she first approached us though, her brand was a bit vanilla and not reflective of who she truly was and how she helped women go from burnt out to fired up through her work with them.
We brought the heat to Lisa’s brand and brought it from “meh” to amazing by helping her to stand out as the spicy chocolate cupcake she was!
You might be thinking that a spicy cupcake does NOT sound tasty to you…
That’s ok, because here is the beauty of standing out as your authentic self. You don’t want to attract everyone!
Not everyone is going to be drawn to your flavour of cupcake. Some people prefer pink fluffy icing, or over the top creations with rainbows and unicorns. Others like dangerously dark chocolate cupcakes, while some folks like that sweet cream cheese frosting topped with crunchy walnuts, and there are those who love vanilla with vanilla frosting - hold the bells and whistles.
Whatever your flavour, there is someone who will reach for that cupcake, if you are putting it out there! Understanding what makes you unique and different is how you can help your business stand out.
We are all different and will appeal to different audiences when we identify what makes us unique and we start to show up in that way.
Think about what makes you unique, what you offer that no one else does, and how you differ from the competition...and then show up in the way that only YOU can!
How does your brand stand out from the rest? If you’ve been blending in and are ready to stand out, I invite you to join our next session of Brand Camp. Click here to learn more.