You’re different. Just like everyone else.
Writers learn to see similarities in things that are supposedly different. That’s metaphor. A way of describing one thing in terms of another: All the world’s a stage …
On the other hand, writers (especially copywriters) work hard to see differences: characteristics that distinguish something from all the other seemingly identical somethings in the same category.
When prospects read about your community, do they think …
“You know, this community claims to be different, but this sounds a lot like what I’ve heard from other communities. Seems to me they’re all the same.”
But of course they’re not all the same.
In addition to all the obvious, tangible, quantitative differences one might name, there are likely to be just as many subtle, intangible, qualitative differences about your community.
Such as?
- The people you select to join your staff, and how you go about selecting them
- Your approach to training
- The expectations you define for your organization
- How your people deliver service and how close this comes to your stated philosophies
- The ability of your community to help create meaning and purpose in the lives of its residents
And that’s just for starters. If no one articulates these differences in a memorable way, your target audience might go on believing there’s no difference between you and every other community in town. Unless you tell them ─ and better yet, show them.
If you — or perhaps you and an assistant — are primarily responsible for producing your community’s marketing communications, spend at least as much time isolating the key characteristics that distinguish your community in the eyes of leads and prospects, as you do writing and producing the pieces themselves. Try to capture your residents’ perspective on what really makes your community unique. It might be something you can see and touch, then again it might be less tangible but just as compelling. The strength of what comes out, of course, depends on the energy and effort you put in.
If you work with creative professionals, help them understand what sets you apart. Better still, help them experience it. Invite your creative people to events at your community or to speak with residents. Share as much fact and insight — analytic and anecdotal — as you can. Collaborate with them to agree on which key facts are the ones to focus on. After all, no one knows your community better than you.
So if you want your audience to feel just how different your community truly is, work at unearthing those nuggets that really do distinguish you from everyone else. Otherwise, it’s all just the same.
