Toilet paper is a commodity.
Companies that sell toilet paper spend millions a year on advertising trying to get noticed. Trying to build their brand. Trying to get customers to buy their product instead of the competition’s.
It’s a challenge because there is really nothing new or interesting about toilet paper. Everyone pretty much knows what it does, what it’s for, and how to use it. Sure, they can (claim to) make softer, more absorbent toilet paper than the competition – but sales are highly price sensitive. If the competition figures out how to make a similar quality toilet paper to yours at a lower price, they could wipe away your market share in an instant (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Many entrepreneurs approach their marketing like they are toilet paper. They spend a fortune on marketing and advertising that pumps out the same boring messages as the competition. Swap the logos in their ads with any of their competitors and no one can tell the difference.
As a result they become toilet paper – virtually indistinguishable from the competition, highly price sensitive and constantly having spend huge amounts (which ad agencies are only too happy to help them do) to find customers.
But what if you spent your time and (much less of) your money providing highly valuable and useful content for your prospects by . . .
Writing articles.
Publishing books.
Speaking at conferences.
Conducting seminars.
Becoming the media’s go to source in your industry.
Blogging regularly.
Do this and you provide value your competition can’t match. You tell a more compelling story that your competition can’t tell. You become THE expert. And . . .
THE expert doesn’t have competition.
THE expert doesn’t compete on price.
THE expert has customers seeking her out instead of having to find them.
So, when it comes to your industry – are you the expert or are you the toilet paper?
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