Everyone can be a brand

Do you remember when podcasts were just kind of an archival recording of radio broadcasts or audio blogs? Then it went into niche territory with Apple Podcast subscriptions where people would upload recordings of live events and such. But then that show Serial exploded which can be credited to helping podcasts become what they are today. They are recorded talk shows, audio dramas, true crime documentaries and so on. In a day and age where technology is amazing, people are sort of reverting back to the time where families would sit around and watch the radio. I myself love a good podcast. Fascinating interviews, a good story or an immersive drama. It’s a great break from my playlist that I have been listening to for the last 20 years.

But now it seems anyone can have a podcast about anything. Which in it of itself is pretty cool. Being able to test all these different avenues of self expression and even entrepreneurship. Tying in social media and live events to a podcast that you can make all your own. True creative freedom. But the downfall, at least in my opinion, is everyone believes they are the funniest or most interesting person they know. Podcasts, like music or movies, become extremely generic over time. Content runs dry and the same thing is repeated time and time again but if the host or panel has some sort of schtick it will become popular. So that’s how mediocrity is battled in a sense.

If I can become this character or brand that is somewhat unique and polarizing I can have the exact same content as everyone else. How many true crime podcasts are out there? I definitely have my rotation and I have tried new ones. But I usually never make it past the first episode because it’s not catchy enough to stand out from hundreds of other options. The host/hosts usually come across too self absorbed to be good story tellers. But it’s probably someone else’s taste. Which is is also cool. You can have your preferences and even share them with others but don’t get offended if someone else doesn’t like what you like. Or even worse, think you’re better than them because of it.

I grew up in the late 90’s early 2000’s and absolutely loved bands like Third Eye Blind, Nine Days and all that other 90’s sounding stuff. But I also started really liking New Found Glory and Taking Back Sunday. It was fun to sing along to and you could relate to the lyrics. But this was also the time where Indie rock made it big. I liked some of it but for the most part it started to all sound the same, which was ironic because all these bands were trying to sound individual and unique. I continued listening to the same stuff I always did but was open to new music. But because I wasn’t up on the latest bands and sounds people I thought were my friends actually thought they were better than me. Music elitists might be the bane of my existence. You may not like it or think its not good, but that doesn’t objectively mean it isn’t good. It’s your opinion, just like I think what you’re listening to sounds like a bunch of untalented clowns that bought all of their instruments at Goodwill yesterday. But if you like it, then rock on man. I’ll be over here working on my hair swoop.

But I eventually found that if you embrace what you like then people will ultimately respect it. Stop trying to force yourself to like certain music or movies. When you are confident in what you like and who you are, without being a tool, it makes you attractive and likable. Yeah I know this band plays shows in abandoned cinnamon factories, but that dude can’t sing and the guitar is out of tune. But I am glad you had fun. I have music I listen to that others think is terrible too, so I am not making fun of any one. (…maybe a little)

But this is where a niche is beneficial. I have found that with my business. A lot of contacts I have made over the years have told me I provide service that few don’t. That doesn’t mean I am the only one that does it. It just simply means I have something fairly unique compared to the majority of similar companies out there, my competitors. It also means I am the first one called and referred when someone needs cleaning or window repair. Out of all of the hundreds of window companies I stand out as somewhat different even though I am offering the same thing essentially.

For context: I offer glass replacement. I do not try and sell you on full frame windows or things you don’t need. You have one broken unit, I will take care of it for you. I also offer professional window cleaning services which means the glass I do install will be professionally cleaned. Which most glaziers can’t offer. Majority of my competitors want the big ticket sales, which I do too, but I also won’t turn down quick repairs. It’s not unique or special at all but my customers know that this is my niche and I get calls around the clock for it. Does the $30k window installation sound awesome? You bet! But so does the $300 glass repair that only takes me 30 minutes. This rule applies to everything.

When it comes to branding yourself find your niche. I am not talking being radical about stuff, because that’s also not unique. We live in a world of extremes already. One of my favorite true crime podcasts isn’t about serial killers or unsolved murders, but greed essentially. The lengths people will go to con others out of money for their own selfish gain. The host is dead pan in his delivery stating the facts of the story. He mixes in clips from the news story and testimonies from people affected. It isn’t over the top or bias and even events you might be familiar with you’ll learn something new. He is in the true crime field but he isn’t one of the 50 shows that wants to talk about the true identity of Jack the Ripper or the Kennedy assassination. It is truly a unique show. Sometimes unique can look very similar to something else though, nothing is truly original anymore.

So just be authentic. Jumping on the bandwagon is easy and not unique or authentic but being so far off, trying to build your own wagon out of tin foil and popsicle sticks only gets you so far. Find the wagon where authenticity meets creativity and something that makes what you do stand out from others doing something similar. There is plenty of space to express yourself without the fear of appearing uncool because you don’t know a certain band or movie quote. Stick by your own music and movie quotes because they may seem obscure or funny to someone else that is actually worth your time. That applies to you as a person with the people you keep close or as an entrepreneur with your audience. A niche isn’t a monopoly but it’s something sort of specialized that you can capitalize on. That’s how trends are often set. Ironically not following a trend you then become the trendsetter in a way. But, unironically you are just being authentic and not doing things for the sake of irony.

Irony… that’s another topic for another day because I don’t even know if I am using the word properly. That’s ironic.. dontcha think?