by Everyone has their own truth these days.
We’re all playing the lead role in our own stories, and we each see the world around us through our own lens…
A lens we have increasing control over, as more than ever our focus is on our identity.
Sure, expressing our individuality has always felt good, ever since we were walking around in loincloths.
It’s not a new fad, it’s in our DNA.
What’s changed is this:
Hundreds of years ago, striving to be an individual meant rebelling against your place in society, often taking radical steps against what the world had decided would be ‘your story’ before you’d even spoken your first words.
Decades ago, asserting your individuality had become easier, but you could still be thrown in jail for it. Speaking out was hard, if what you were speaking out against was ‘normal’.
In 2018 expressing your individuality happens at the touch of a button…
Customising your timeline, setting notifications, choosing apps, screening calls, controlling your news feed etc…
It’s easier than ever to be ‘an individual’ now.
The proof? Look around you – everybody’s doing it ; )
Yes there’s an irony there, but also an opportunity.
“Ok Pete, so far so philosophical (what, you didn’t get any emails from Hollywood heart-throbs this week?)…
But why is this so important for biz-owners?”
Because our clients and customers demand to be treated like individuals
We need to show that we understand their wants, needs, fears and even sometimes, unexpressed desires.
Your best customer is tired of being ‘the 99%’…
She wants to feel part of something – to have control over how she buys from you (or doesn’t), the same way she has micro-control over the rest of her life.
So it’s time to forget for a while about how to sell to her, and focus on how to serve her better instead.
But the cool part is, you get some control here too…
Because individuals attract other individuals like them
In 2018, there’s great value in running a business that reflects your unique values.
As brand story strategist Bernadette Jiwa says in her book ‘Difference’:
It’s improbable now to expect that you can presume everything about your customers just because you know their age, sex and postcode… they are not so easy to put into a box, either.
It’s far more helpful to think holistically about the people you want to serve. In addition to considering their problems or needs, you need to understand what they value and how they think and feel.
Are your customers driven by their love of great design, or do they simply care that the product works? Do they value convenience over comfort? Perhaps they are more concerned with their impact on the planet than the price they pay for something.”
Of course, some folks don’t like all this individualistic stuff… the ‘New Economic Order’ we’re apparently part of gets some flack from ‘Traditionals’.
They call us ‘special snowflakes’, which is a fun-to-say insult designed to keep us in our place (wherever that is).
But that’s ok. We don’t need those people anyway.
Because you know who’s left when they’ve got bored and gone off to poke someone else with the ‘snowflake stick’?
Your best customer, that’s who.
When your business stands for something, you WILL attract criticism
When you express your personality in your messaging, you polarise people. Some go, some stay.
The ones who stay are making a choice…
They’re saying: “this is a part of who I choose to be.”
Buying from you – or learning from you, or sharing your work – becomes a part of their identity.
In a small way, you help shape the individual.
That’s why it’s worth communicating with your tribe: WHO you are, WHAT you stand for, and WHY they should care.
It’s time to tell your truth to the people who want to hear it.
What will you tell them?
