25 Ways to Fit In With the Competition and DIE

(disclaimer: this is tongue-in-cheek, otherwise known as sarcasm)

In light of my post yesterday about fitting in with the competition… I wanted to make a list of 25 ways you could fit in with the competition and use marketing/design/communication the wrong way. There is a ton of this going on and it doesn’t make any sense to me.

1. You use an email with an ending of @aol.com or @comcast.net or @hotmail.com

2. Microsoft Publisher was used while creating your brochure. Oh that clip art looks nice!

3. Your website hasn’t been changed in 6 months to 5 years.

4. You send out direct mail the same way you did 5 years ago without changing any strategy.

5. You chose to use a WORD font for your logo instead of investing in good design.

6. You wont touch social media or the Internet because you “don’t have time.”

7. You are reactive to competition instead of proactive.

8. You send out an article for your e-newsletter instead of up-to-date content and information.

9. You send out an e-newsletter once a month… same day… same time.. same content.

10. You sell the same thing your competition sells.

11. You care more about selling than listening.

12. You don’t ask questions… just sign contracts.

13. You will not invest any money into marketing because you fear wasting “resources.”

14. You do not spend time investing into your education and do not read because it is “boring.”

15. Your employees hate going to work.

16. Your brochure has 5,000,000 words about your company and 10 about how you help the client.

17. You think Facebook is just another “college kids” hang out.

18. You don’t attend networking events or community events because you have “better things to do.”

19. Your best client is described as…. everyone that owns a small business.

20. You refuse to write a blog. Period.

21. You create seminars you know nothing about but only because it is the “cool thing” to do.

22. Use a billboard without tying to the Internet.

23. Use the same stock photography as everyone else.

24. Ignore market trends because what “you do” worked in the past.

25. You talk about what you offer instead of what YOU do.. it is about personality and human quality… not service offering.. to an extent.

Well there you go. If you want to fit in with your competition… by all means.. follow the 25 steps.