Content That Sets a Standard
Absolute perfection! (That was my first thought upon reading this Patek Phillippe ad in a special issue of Forbes:
At Patek Phillipe, when we make a watch, however hard we work, we can only go at one speed. One that ensures we adhere to the high standards for which we are respected.
We understand that some people express frustration at this. They want to us to go faster. But at our family-owned watch company, fast is the enemy. Because to accelerate the time it takes to make a watch, we would have had to cut corners and lower our quality.
And then the watch might be a very good timepiece. But it would not be a Patek Phillipe and would not merit the Patek Phillipe seal.
Thierry Stern, President
Notice how the president of Patek Phillipe never puts down competitors, in fact never even mentions other watchmakers. For that reason, he comes across as a leader, not a follower.
In content marketing, we teach, negatives against competitors are a basic no-no. Sure, in writing for business, we want to clarify the ways we stand out from the competition. But, to get the point across that readers should want to choose your business or practice, or your products and services over those offered by the competition, it’s best to emphasize the positive.
An alternate approach to mentioning the competition in content marketing includes acknowledges that there may be alternative approaches to reader’s problem or need, then offering evidence backing up your own viewpoint.
A point I often stress in corporate blogging training sessions is that you’ve got to have an opinion, a slant, on the information you’re serving up for readers. In other words, content, to be effective, can’t be just compilations of other people’s stuff, making that be your entire blog presence. Yes, aggregation may make your site the “go-to” destination for information on your subject. The bottom line, though, is that Thierry Stern understands the power of thought leadership, of staying true to the care values on which your business or practice was founded.
Sure, your competitors’ products and services may be very good products and services, but they wouldn’t be uniquely yours, and your content wouldn’t set a standard.
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