Grow Your Brand By Playing To Your Strengths

If you spend your time doing work other people can do, you’ll spend less time on the work only you can do.

I fell out of love with basketball when playing for a local team a few years ago.

I was trying to meet the expectations of the team by playing the game differently to how I normally played. Specifically, I’m talking about being asked to shoot lots of long-range 3-pointers. 

What’s the problem? 

I suck at that shot.

Without it, I wasn’t getting picked. And when I did get picked, I’d try shooting threes. And I’d miss them. Back to the bench I went.

So what did I do? I quit the team.

I started playing at my local court, rediscovering one-on-one and pick-up games with smaller teams. I also rediscovered my love for creating mid-range shots, and I got really good.

There’s something amazing about finding your lane and pushing yourself in it. It increases your passion, and the drive to get better when you find your sweet spot.

It’s true for individuals (especially entrepreneurs) and it's true for purposeful businesses: if you’re a jack of all trades, you’re a master of none. Not only is it a fruitless effort to try to be great at everything, it can really reduce your effectiveness at the things you’re naturally better at. 

As a charity, for example,  your time and resources are limited, and it's essential to use them efficiently and effectively to achieve your mission. One of the best ways to make sure you’re doing this is to focus on what only you can do.

Every brand needs to play to its strengths. By doing so, you can concentrate your efforts on the things that actually set you apart from others and create the most impact.

Focusing on your strengths helps with prioritising. From an individual perspective this approach will help you avoid wasting time on specific activities that others could handle.

From a company perspective, it will help you minimise wasted efforts on products, campaigns and content which isn’t needed. Instead, you'll be able to devote your energy to the high-impact work that requires your specific expertise and skill set.

One final benefit from this is that you'll find it easier to differentiate yourself within your market, helping you to develop a unique brand identity. This differentiation can help you attract donors, clients or supporters who are passionate about your mission and believe in the value you bring.

It’s essential to focus on what *only* you can do so, so that you can use your time well, prioritise effectively and stand out from the crowd. If you can do this, I promise you'll be able to create the most significant impact possible, and achieve your mission more effectively.