Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery…

Except when it’s not..!

As a blogger, content creator and social media manager, I come across people copying my work, stealing my photos, imitating my branding, and copying my ideas often. Now, most of the time, this doesn’t bother me. And I’ll tell you why below. The exceptions of course are thieves who skim my content and steal my photos – those people are served with a swift DCMA Takedown Notice!

I very much doubt, when Charles Caleb Colton wrote those words in 1820, that he could’ve imagined the massive and hard to monitor world wide web!

Is Imitation Flattering?

That is a very subjective question. If you’ve worked hard on branding, putting together campaign ideas, and marketing, only to have those things replicated without the creative effort and nuance – yeah, it’s annoying.

Then again, I am also a believer in the notion that your own shining abilities will speak for themselves. If someone is copying you, then it means you are doing something right and have the ability to prove that creativity and skill over and over. Those who copy, will not be able to prove their abilities.

Your Response to Imitators

Now, I’m not going to talk legal matters, where copyright has been infringed. These are pretty cut and dry. DON’T STEAL OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK! Simples.

However, I am going to discuss your reactions to the imitation side of things, because that something that we can control as creators.

Your feelings

Has someone directly ripped off your ideas? It’s frustrating, right? This is probably the point where you have a good rant to your friends or family about it. This is good, release that rage! But unless there has been direct copyright infringement, there’s likely that nothing can be done about it on a practical level. So, release that negativity and turn it around!

There is merit in the saying

There is actually merit in the saying that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. To be creating something so memorable and so RIGHT that people see it and love it and try to replicate it is a strong vote in confidence of your abilities. As much as our pride gets in the way of seeing this sometimes, I urge you to find the light amidst the annoyance. Be proud that you are creating something that people wish to imitate.

Testing a Theory

So, what people don’t always realise when they copy my marketing ideas, is that often I am just testing out theories and ideas. I often trial different branding ideas, Facebook Ads, and delivery methods on my own business pages before delivering them to a client as a product. I have the benefit of seeing my analytics, and discovering what works. They don’t. Therefore it may well be that people are imitating things that DON’T deliver results! You’ve got to laugh when this happens!

Jumping on the Trend Bandwagon Isn’t Always a Good Idea

One of the pieces of advice that I seem to be giving out to my clients a lot lately is: don’t jump on the trend bandwagon, just because everyone else is doing it! Diving into the new social media platform without analysing whether it attracts the demographic you are targeting? Craziness!

Know your brand. Know your audience. Research what works.

This piece of advice works across many niches, many social media platforms, and most small business marketing. What is it that you offer? What question are you answering for your target market? If you imitate the marketing for a brand or business that is not aligned to your own, it likely won’t work.

Just ASK!

Honestly, I’m super generous with my time and ideas. I give away trade secrets, my latest discoveries, and hints and information freely and with good spirit. I believe so passionately that we should all share our knowledge and expertise if we can! So, when I get asked to share my knowledge, or asked if someone can replicate my latest twitter message layout, I mostly say SURE, GO FOR IT! And thanks for asking…

Nothing is truly original

They say that most ideas have been done before, and that it is just how we combine these creative endeavours that is the original part. Every note in music already exists, it is how we put together the song that makes it unique.

It’s also possible that people will imitate you purely by accident. We receive information online in a very overwhelming way often. So, it is well within the realms of possibility that you will see an idea while scrolling, and then accidentally use it yourself without understanding or remembering the provenance. It happens, don’t sweat it too much.

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.”

 — Maya Angelou

Just Be You

As much as I hate the phrase ‘just be you’ or ‘just do you’, it does ring true. Authenticity online is actually very often contrived. So what you are trying to imitate is, by the very nature of marketing, so much more complicated in reality. If you have a skill-set, be confident and sure in that skill-set. Know yourself, and create marketing that reflects that. Need help from someone with a different skill set? Hire that person or ask their advice!

What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!

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