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MEMBER PERSPECTIVE
The Risk of Blending In
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By Ben Culbreth
COLUMN
There’s a comfort in similarity. Safety in a sea of voices that all sound pretty much the same. Blending in doesn’t open our work up to question or critique. It doesn’t draw an eye for long, so there’s not much to be said.
But for firms that want to stand on their own footing and land the kind of work they dream of, blending in isn’t an option.
Saying the same things as everyone else in the A/E/C industry will keep your company firmly planted in its current position, or you may even start to lose market share. When you blend in, there’s no reason for anyone to pay attention to what makes your firm unique or how your process may be just what they need.
Choosing to step out of the crowded market and take a noticeable stand is uncomfortable. It requires much thought and possibly a few bumps along the path to differentiation. Change will call for content creation and marketing initiatives that may stir the pot.
On the other side of that discomfort is the opportunity to do things that aren’t afforded to those who blend in.
Don’t Swim in the Sea of Sameness
Go have a look at your competitor’s websites and marketing collateral. Odds are, they’ll all say just about the same thing.
In that greywash of sounding alike, your firm’s value proposition gets watered down. In an industry where capable technical professionals compete by offering similar services, this is easier said than done. But it makes the work of showcasing your firm’s value all the more important.
Breaking out from the crowd requires an intimate dive into what your customers think about you. It requires a deep understanding of their goals and objectives, and conversations with them about why they hired you and what brings your repeat customers back time and time again.
Your Value is On the Line
When your messaging is ambiguous, there’s a greater chance of losing business because it’s unclear what you can do for people who might hire you.
For busy firms, this may not seem particularly important. But having a distinct voice and clear value proposition will help you attract and land clients that are aligned with your firm. We all know there’s a big difference between being busy, doing the work that comes to our firms, and landing the work we’re well-equipped to do.
Blending in holds us in place, doing the work we need to do, but not the work we want to do.
The Risk of Standing Out
You’ll likely lose some business when you step out of your comfort zone.
When your messaging is clear about what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for, there will be people who walk away and decide you’re not for them.
That’s a good thing.
One of the greatest outcomes of clear, concise positioning is the ability to weed out prospects who aren’t a good fit. Standing out will narrow the market of customers you’ll work with. And you’ll reap the rewards for it because those clients will be aligned with what you offer and your firm’s culture.
Fortune Favors the Bold
You can keep doing what your firm has always done. Use the same messaging, sound like your competitors, and in general, blend right in.
Or you could try something different. Do something bold. Work some humor into your website copy. Run an ad that captures attention instead of looking and sounding like every other ad out there.
There’s a risk of failure. It may not work how you expect or even work at all. It may take many attempts to find your footing and establish the voice and tone that pulls your firm out of the pack.
But there’s a beauty in failure because it will teach you so much.
And as the old saying goes, fortune favors the bold. So, be bold when you choose to stand out.
Ben Culbreth is a content strategist and copywriter, and the only one who shows up for work at Culbreth Copywriting LLC. He helps A/E/C firms land more of the clients they want through marketing workshops and training, leading brand messaging and content strategies, and writing copy for websites and customer stories. He lives in South Carolina. You can read his words and see his work at benjaminculbreth.com.
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