Start taking risks....

Today I'm going to explain why you need to start taking risks in your marketing.

If you can fight the urge to play it safe then you'll stand a much better chance at getting noticed and building genuine relationships with your target market.

Unfortunately, we live in a corporate culture where everyone is trying to remove risk - and that is the exact opposite of what you should be doing.

If you're in marketing and you're not taking risks then you're in the wrong game.

I don't want people or brands to take risks per se, I want them to success. And I'm firmly of the opinion that in order to succeed you need to take risks.

Here are 4 reasons why:

1) Taking risks increases creativity

Rather than taking inspiration from what is already out there, taking risks encourages your to think outside the box, do something totally different and venture into new territories.

All this forces you to be creative which is the backbone of great marketing.

2) It helps you stand the f*ck out

Everyone wants to increase sales, make their marketing more effective and have their content go viral. And to do that you need to stand out, differentiate yourself and be memorable.

You can't expect to be 1% different from the competition and stand out. You're going to have to take a few risks to be really different.

Remember the first rule of branding: don't be better, be different.

3) Consumers crave authenticity

Taking risks in marketing involves moving away from the generic, bland, corporate messaging into a more authentic and personal voice.

Have an opinion on something? Then don't be afraid to say it and take a stance on a controversial opinion. Not everyone will like it but that's fine.

It's better to have 1,000 super fans who love what you say than 10,000 'followers' would don't have an opinion at all.

4) Virtually no-one else is doing it

Most companies these days are run by finance or procurement departments, not by people who understand how to stand out and get noticed.

So if you want to be different, it's actually really quite easy. The corner for those playing it safe is a very crowded place meaning there is a sea of opportunity for those willing to take a risk and stand out.

In summary:

• Risk is everywhere - don't shy away from it in your marketing
• Most companies and brands are trying to play it safe
• Which leaves you a huge amount of opportunity if you can resist the urge to play it safe.

If you can your sales, brand and customers will all thank you for it.

Until next week....