Ever see a competitor ad… or website… and think to yourself…
“Wow, they straight up copied us!”
I’ve seen it happen to my clients many times, so I’m sure it’s happened to you.
You aren’t the only one. We have our fair share of copycats.
For example, I was served a Facebook ad for a practice over the weekend. And as I’m reading it, I’m thinking, “This sounds a lot like a recent client promo we wrote.”
I went and looked just to be positive. Sure enough, I was right.
More:
I was on a local practice’s website last week. I took a look at their self-test, and wouldn’t you know it…
It was a carbon-copy of one of ours.
This used to frustrate me to no end. “We work hard to put together creative campaigns for our clients, and we’re getting ripped off!”
But then I started to realize what copycats are signaling to me.
Have you ever seen these Michael Phelps meme?
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This is essentially what’s happening when someone copies you. Which means it’s actually a good thing…
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Why is it actually good when someone copies you?
1. It shows you those practices have no creative skill.
Your competitors can’t come up with anything on their own. They got nothing. They need to take what you’re doing and try to leverage that.
But the fact that they don’t know what to do externally… probably means they have no clue how what to do on their Patient Journey either.
2. Those practices have to wait on you to make a move.
They’re gonna copy you? Great, that means they’ll never be out in front.
They can only move as fast as you. Their default position is “wait.” Wait for you to do something.
And since your default position is “action” (it is, right?!), you have a built-in first-mover advantage.
You’re in the pole position. The market leader. The authority.
And that’s exactly what you want to be with your patients – the authority and the leader who will help them reach the promised land. In fact, your entire Patient Journey should signal this.
3. Those practices have no idea about the backend.
Imagine building a restaurant with a gorgeous, eye-catching facade out front.
But when someone comes in the door… there’s no welcoming ambiance. No smiling hostess. No knowledgable waiter to guide you through the menu.
It’s a farce. It’s a show. Nice on the outside, absolutely mediocre on the inside. A bait and switch. Lipstick on a pig.
And their prospective patients see that quickly. And they don’t take kindly to it.
(Many of those prospective patients then run to our clients, who have incredible Patient Journey Systems in place)
4. Those copycat practices have no identity.
Your identity, your culture, your beliefs, your mission. These core values are essential to who you are, who you serve and how you serve them.
The nature of a copycat is that they don’t have these core values on their own. They have to look at what you’re doing, what you’re saying… and try to “be” that themselves.
Which is much easier said than done.
5. They don’t know what’s next (your unfair advantage)
Adapt or die. The nature of business and marketing is that it’s ever-evolving – to speak to and meet the newly created needs of your clients, customers or patients.
Remember when 2-day shipping launched?
Amazon saw people wanted faster and cheaper shipping. They started free 2-day shipping, and the world went wild.
That was a few short years ago. Now 2-day shipping? Meh. We’re used to it. And other major retailers are offering it (having copied Amazon). So we as consumers want something better.
Enter 1-day shipping, or even same-day delivery in some cases (depending on how close you live to an Amazon fulfillment center).
Also enter businesses like InstaCart, who deliver our family’s massive Costco orders directly to our front door within hours of placing the order.
(True Story: My AirPods died a couple weeks ago. I InstaCart-ed a new pair from Costco. Time from order to having them in my hands – 90 minutes.)
If you want to stay top dog in 2021 (or unseat whichever practice has that position) – you must continue to innovate.
Innovation is essential to growth.
The process goes like this:
- You come up with a new way to do things
- Others say “no way they can actually fulfill on that”
- You do it. You prosper.
- Others see that, and eventually they copy you.
- You’re already on to the next innovation.
As long as you’re innovating, there’s no reason to worry about the copycats. Because you know you’re 10 steps ahead of them anyway.
Other practices/agencies have copied so much of our marketing over the years, but what they don’t know – we have 10x more either hidden “under the hood” or coming down the pipeline.
For example, we have a brand new marketing offer for 2021: instead of paying for retainers or agency fees, you only pay for consults who show up.
What do other advertising people say? “That’s not how agencies are structured. That doesn’t make sense. That could never work.”
Watch us do it. (Then copy us, of course)
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In closing, don’t let the copycats bother you.
They are but a cheap imitation of what you do and who you are.
And if you want to copy me or my clients, good luck. Just remember:
Imitation is the sincerest form of admitting defeat.
That’s all I got for you today…
– Troy “Often Imitated, Never Duplicated” Cole