Copycats Stealing your Thunder?

By Robyn McAlpine

Other people keep copying your ideas? Great! Just keep having new ones! Easier said than done, yes! But what if that salon that always seems to be a few steps behind you was one of the best things keeping your own business moving forward?

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but what about when you’re the one getting copied? It can feel pretty ick to see others around you taking your work and passing it off as their own bright idea.

I see it often in the beauty forums, a salon owner asking for advice when they see their competitor copying their promotions, replicating their social media posts, and sometimes going as far as logos, brand styles and language.

It can feel like you are just working your butt off to give your competitors all the ideas.

As someone who has this happen often, I want to share with you why it’s actually a good thing, (even when it feels yuck!) and help you reframe the way you think about copycats and the impact it has on your business.

If you are seeing your ideas, words, and images all over the internet, buckle up buttercup, we’re learning how to not let it put a kink in your chain so you can keep on rolling.

I’m also sharing some seasoned advice for those who might have (accidentally) found themselves in the copycat seat. I’m here to help you find your own voice and connect with your clients as the amazing skin therapist you are, no copied inspiration needed!

It can be so disheartening to see someone copy everything you produce; you might see your social images replicated, sometimes just cropped and reposted. Maybe it’s your captions cut and pasted into someone else’s social posts. You might have seen your exact same promotion replicated all over the internet in a way that feels like weird deja vu.

I’ve had some first-hand experience with this. Occasionally, mid mindless scroll I stumble across something I have written and for a moment I have to stop and check I didn’t actually post it and forget. I’ve also seen salons replicate my entire printed treatment menu, word for word, some right down to the price point! Ouch!

Whoever said copying was the highest compliment, a form of flattery, I don’t know what they were on at the time, because it certainly doesn’t feel like it when you’re mid-scroll and see your competitor down the road making a carbon copy of your business! But it’s true, copying is actually the biggest compliment to you and I’m about to explain why!

Take comfort. I’ve been around the block enough times to see that those who don’t find their own voice and instead constantly borrow yours, will soon switch to copying someone else. I promise you; you will outlast them. They will eventually find someone else to emulate and replicate and you will soon miss the motivation they bring.

But in the moment when it feels like they are taking all your ideas and just when you think you’ve come up with something fresh and new, your nemesis is hot on your heels, we can lose focus of our own business and spend too much time worrying about theirs!

Just remember, leaders have followers!! If you’ve got people copying you, it’s because you are doing something worth following.

Someone copying you is actually a GIFT wrapped up in a crappy prize!

Why? Because our copycats keep us moving forward. They are the fuel that stokes our creative fires, and they are the push we need to stay at the front of our businesses.

Sure, it would be nice to have just a little breathing space before they swoop in and hitch a ride on your coattails, at least give us a head start! But I bet you don’t even realise this ‘arch nemesis’ is actually helping you dig deeper and get even more creative and come up with new ways to promote your business.

Maybe we should be thanking them instead of feeling threatened by them? Because if you take a moment to notice, your business still succeeds despite them being hot on your tail. (But get it? They are on your tail!!)

Yes, you could call it out “with services so good our competitors just can’t help but be inspired!” but trust me, you really don’t need to. Think your clients can’t tell that another salon is copying everything you do? Think again! It’s so darn obvious and everyone can see it for what it is. You know it’s happening; clients know it’s happening but it’s how you respond to it that will set you apart even further.

Instead of dishing out the juicy gossip and having a snide dig when a client comments on the glaring similarities, try smiling and commenting how honoured you are to be such an inspiration to XYZ salon. That kind of response speaks volumes and further shows your clients that you have risen above. It’s also great for your clients to see that you are such an inspiring leader in our industry!

Take it as confirmation that you are on the right track. Often in business, we can feel like we are wandering around in the wilderness. So too are our competitors. When they find you and emulate you, they are really just looking at you for guidance on their own journey. For a moment, they feel a sense of connection to you because they see you thriving, and it gives them confidence that they can thrive too.

They see you having amazing success and want to replicate that in their own salon. Even if you don’t feel successful, your copycat believes you are. If they believe you are, then maybe you can believe it too!

However, what they don’t see is the blood sweat, tears. One of the pitfalls of copying you is that they don’t know the details, the costs or the profit margins involved in how you are running your business.

So, whilst you have tried, tested, and re-tested something and know it’s going to work, our copycats can often regret replicating a promotion as it doesn’t translate so well for their own cost and profitability. Remember, their clients will not have the same experience that you are offering. So even if they do copy word for word, the results and experience are going to be very different.

But what if you’re the copycat?

It’s wonderful to be inspired by what we see others doing in our industry! Let’s face it, there’s some pretty clever people, doing some pretty awesome things! But you’re also pretty darn amazing and your clients want YOU, not the cut and paste version of someone else!

What do you want to say to your clients? What do you wish they knew? What’s something you want to teach them that will help support them in their skin journey with you? What do you believe when it comes to treating skin? Take a moment to answer these questions. It’s a great start to building your own voice in your business!

I get it, if the content is out there, why reinvent the wheel? How many unique promotions and possible combinations could there really be?

If you’ve found a salon doing a promotion that you think would resonate with your clients, great! Take inspiration, but then do it your own way. Also, make sure you run the numbers and understand what outcome you are hoping to achieve. What your business needs might be very different to what theirs is trying to achieve.

Seen a social media post you like? Found a caption that articulates exactly the things you are trying to say?

Great! Share it on your page and let your audience know where the inspiration comes from! Give credit where credit is due! If you’ve taken inspiration from someone’s work, tell your audience!

If you have borrowed someone’s caption or used their words, there’s a great opportunity in telling your clients: “I read this on XYZ salons page and loved it so much that I wanted to share it here.

THIS is how we collaborate, over competition. It’s how we can use the content others have created and still share the meaning and message with our own audience without being a copycat.

If you’ve ever seen your own work replicated, your promotion hanging in the window of another salon, or maybe your treatment menu on someone else’s website, first smile and give yourself a pat on the back. It truly is a big compliment that you are successful (even on the days you might not feel it!)

You’re inspiring our industry and leading the way for others. Take it as confirmation that you are on the right track and use it to fuel you to think up new ideas and be one step ahead of the game!

I’m excited to see your new big idea!!!

Robyn. x www.skintifix.com

@expert_skin_therapist