It kinda makes me cringe when people want to start their branding process by studying what their competition is doing. 🥴
I am not saying you should never see what your competitors are doing. There’s a lot of value in understanding what’s happening in your market.
But starting there feels a lil backwards to me for a few reasons.

1️⃣ It becomes hard to think outside the box because your ‘competitive analysis’ informs the box you place yourself in.

It’s like someone telling you not to think about the color red, but now all you can think about is the color red.

2️⃣ Following someone down the street trying to get to your own destination doesn’t work so well. You might even get the cops called on you.

3️⃣ Cooking with the same ingredients will leave you with something that tastes the same or looks derivative. We don’t want that.

💪 You can create your own path and stand out.
You ARE unique, valuable, and have a different perspective that you can bring to the market.

🤓 If you need inspiration try this instead:

👀 Look outside of your industry. See how they are raising the bar, taking risks and innovating. What can you learn and apply to what you do.

🗣 Look to what your ideal customers and clients say they want. Cater to their needs.

🎯 Find out what your ideal audience keeps asking for that isn’t being serviced the way you can.

👉 What are some things that help you think outside of the box?