Connection>Popularity

“Everything popular is wrong.”

This Oscar Wilde quote strikes me as something utterly true and not quite accurate.

Growing up I was one of those obnoxious people that judged you if you liked anything popular. I only listened to punk and indie bands and if you liked something that got played on the radio like Madonna you were just another sheep following the herd.

But that was just a position for me to be self-righteous from. Likely because I felt so unlovable that I had to manufacture reasons why I was better than you.

Anyway, outside of my young insecurities, I did love the music I grew up on, and still do. It didn’t sound like everything else out there and it felt so new and fresh and it spoke to me in ways that other music didn’t. It made me feel like the people in the bands I liked were like me in some way. That we’d have similar interests or hobbies or home lives.

I felt connected to it.

That’s great Parker, but what does this have to do with business?

I am a firm believer that when you figure out who your customer is, your brand and copy will speak to them in the same way the Bad Brains and The Descendents spoke to me when I was 14.

When you know who you are supposed to serve, you will be able to attract them to your company and the products or services that you offer.

Another way of saying this is that if you are as publicly authentic as you can be, then you will attract like-minded people.

If your website or marketing copy speaks to everyone (and is popular) then it speaks to no one in particular. And it makes it harder for your customers to find you.

The worst mistake we can make when we have “competitors” is to fall into a sea of sameness where it’s hard to tell us apart.

Yes, I’m a coach. And there are millions of those. But I’m also an aging punk rocker. And a serial entrepreneur. And a long-time mindfulness practitioner. And I’ve been in recovery for 2+ decades. And I’m an athlete.

These are just some of the elements that make me ME.

You are not just a designer or a teacher or a dancer. There are thousands of those out there. What are the other elements that make you YOU? Find them and talk about them so your customer or audience knows that you are talking to them and they will join you!

It’s tempting to want to be popular and get played on the radio. Popularity feels like success.

But I’d prefer a small group of like-minded people who truly appreciate the work I’m putting out. I’ll take that kind of connection over popularity any day.