It’s interesting writing this article because in the early stages of running my Pet Sitting Company I really cared what my competitors were doing. I would check websites and Facebook pages to see how they were doing and measure myself against them. It was a time consuming event each day!!
What I soon realised was that I was comparing apples to oranges! My business was nothing like theirs – I was me and they were them.
Now there are analytics that you can measure which can be useful to your overall strategy, but comparing how many new Facebook Fans or Likes they got is not very productive. Nor is worrying that they are copying your ideas.
Why You Shouldn’t Care About Your Competitors
#1. You are Unique
There is one thing in the world that no-one can copy and that is you. You are completely unique – there is only one of you. Being you in business means that no-one can ever really copy you – as they don’t have the ‘you’ factor.
Yes, someone can steal your blog post idea or copy your Facebook posts, but they are not injecting their own personality into them and this is what makes a business stand out in a crowd.
By being unique in what you do it means that you are different – you have that unique selling point. You aren’t just another Pet company selling the same old thing.
#2. It’s Distracting
One of the biggest distractions from following your own plan is worrying about what everyone else is doing.
Focus on your own plan and don’t let other people or companies distract you.
It can be easy to look at other people’s content and think it’s better or it’s getting more engagement. But you have no idea what results they are getting from the content they put out. Yes, they could be getting 100 likes compared to your 5 – but if your 5 are from your ideal customers then I think you are on to winner!
Vanity numbers (such as likes, shares etc) don’t mean anything unless people buy from you.
#3. It Says More About Them Than You!
If a company does start to copy you then be flattered! Clearly you are doing a great job. I know it can be annoying – I get it all the time – but really in the grand scheme of things it’s better to not get distracted.
Copying is just that – copying! It’s clear to see and others will too. Just carrying on being you and talking to your ideal customers and you can’t go wrong.
The worst thing you can do is get involved in what other people are doing. Be focused, stick to your plan and keep being you!
