Branding and Outliers

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
Site: http://www.capecodbranding.com
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Background
Just recently I had read the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell which occupies the top spot for hardcover non-fiction on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Reading this book prompted me to think about branding and outliers. Today’s blog will focus on the key points I found form this book and how they relate to your brand.

What Are Outliers?
In layman’s terms an outlier is a scientific term that describes something that is outside of a normal group and different from the majority. In this book the author speaks of the factors that make certain people (outliers) successful in their careers and ultimately in life and what they have done differently than the ordinary rank and file to achieve such extraordinary success. I found two important points that relate directly to branding:

1. Outlier performance has been said to be linked to the person being exposed to a set of circumstances that uniquely positions them for success; sort of like being in the right place at the right time.
2. It has been determined that in order for a person or group to be considered world class that they generally had achieved 10,000 hours of experience within their chosen area of expertise. This was based on an assumed 20 hours per week over ten years.

In the next section I will discuss how this relates directly to your brand.

So What?
Although there are no substitutes for hard work, drive, discipline, education, and experience; for a person or business to achieve greatness they must be at the right place at the right time. For your brand this means putting yourself out there for people to find you. A clean, simple, creative website which effectively communicates your brand is a great way to do this. In addition, in my three part social media series I had discussed the effectiveness of social media tools for promoting your brand which will drive traffic to your website and ultimately to you. A solid web presence ensures you are always virtually there, ensuring that you are at the right place at the right time.

Secondly, it is important that your brand drives towards world class performance as represented by the 10,000 hour rule. This is really a guidepost but seems realistic in my opinion and a good rule of thumb. The Outliers book provides a number of examples of well known superstars in their respective field to prove this point. Researchers have coined this term “deliberate practice” meaning activity that’s explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for objectives just beyond one’s level of competence, provides feedback on results, and involves high levels of repetition.

I am recommending that you deliberately practice the creation of your product or service in a manner that is consistent with your exclusive brand. You should strive for this 10,000 milestone; but ensure it is consistent with what you want your brand to become good at and as a result known for. By the mere act of consistently practicing and promoting your brand you will by default improve your product or service offering and as a result your standing within the marketplace. Make your brand stand apart as an outlier among a sea of common offerings.

Position Your Brand To Be At The Right Place At The Right Time and Strive to Achieve 10,000 Hours of Deliberate Practice Within Your Brand!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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