When developing our internet marketing strategy, should we duplicate the success of others or should we innovate and develop our own system? Should we find someone who has built a successful marketing business and do exactly what he has done, or should we create our own unique way of marketing? The answer is that we must do both. We want to duplicate procedures while innovating the implementation of those procedures.
In other words, we want to duplicate the proven methods that our mentors have perfected. Obviously, if your system works, we can save a lot of time by copying that system. They have already learned what is effective and what is not, and we can benefit from that knowledge. This does not mean that we plagiarized your content; it means we imitate their techniques. If they have learned from experience that it is best to complete “Step 2” in the process before moving on to “Step 3”, then we would do well to do the same. If you have found by trial and error that our “Step 4” should come before our “Step 3”, then we are better off adjusting our plan accordingly.
By innovating the execution of those techniques, we can differentiate our business from yours and create our own unique brand. We can deliver the same box, but we will pack it a little differently. We can make our business stand out by implementing different designs on our packaging. Website design alone can project a distinctive package that will deliver the same box, but allow us to build our brand.
The important thing to understand is that our innovation has to be duplicable. In other words, just as we have learned from others who have gone before us, others will learn by duplicating what we have done. Therefore, we have to innovate within a framework that others can duplicate. This may not make sense at first, but when you look at the big picture, it becomes obvious.
Successful people are often characterized, not just by their achievements, but by their ability to help others achieve as well. Internet marketing “gurus” are well known not only for their financial success, but also for their willingness to help others duplicate their success.
The only ingredient in the entire mix that is duplicable and unique at the same time is the “we” in our business. By being “ourselves” and building our business around our personality, we can duplicate the successful system of those who have come before us, while maintaining our own distinctive image, which will ultimately become our brand and set us apart from the rest.
We will attract people who can relate to us. We want to show them that they don’t have to be experts; they just need to be themselves. We want people to say, “I can do that!”
