It doesn’t matter if you’re a Fortune 500 exec or a one-man freelancing show. There will be times when you look at companies whose services compete with yours, and your stomach will sink into your shoes.

How can you possibly live up to that, you wonder, gawking at what is clearly The Cleverest Ad Ever Written, or enviously scanning hundreds upon hundreds of comments on a blog that isn’t yours.

I’m here to tell you that just because your nemesis appears to be the best thing since sliced bread right now, it does NOT mean that you should throw up your hands and throw in the towel.

What it means is you’ve got to USE those jealous pangs to your creative advantage. Some tips and reminders from a copywriter who refuses to see success as a popularity contest.

Reminder: Things are not always what they seem.

If emotions are coloring your actions (or inactions) lately then you need to look at the facts. Fact is: your competitor may appear to be kicking serious butt… but appearances can be deceiving. Maybe half of those blog comments are from people trying to sponge off another’s success. Who knows if they’ve even branded to the right audience? Don’t form your opinions or cancel your plans because of what others appear to be doing. Focus on YOU and YOUR next move.

Tip: Be the Phoenix.

Whenever you come upon something great that you wish you’d done yourself, you have two choices. Live in the small minded world of jealousy and resentment, or be the phoenix and evolve. When you skulk around in the places where others shine, you’re like that cockroach scavenging for a crumb. People step on cockroaches. What you should be doing is taking notes. Why not use someone else’s great idea as a springboard for your own creation?

Reminder: If you think you can do it better, then you should.

Do you ever play that game where you see someone else getting lots of attention, so you immediately pick them apart? You email your buddies and say things like “Wow, what a BS artist!” or “That guy is going about it ALL wrong.” It might feel good, but talk is cheap. Instead of criticizing others, draw your inspiration from their weakness. Make a plan to do it better than they did, and then DO THAT!

Tip: Do as Other Marketers DO.

Do you know that old expression, “Do as I say, not as I do?” With marketers, it’s the opposite. The advice they give is usually not bad advice; in fact, it can be quite useful. But you will advance much more quickly by becoming an astute observer of their actions, and then following that lead. Typically, people who sell marketing products or services string their readers along with words. They do this because they have a series of items they want to sell, in a specific order. Instead of waiting for them to drop the next breadcrumb, watch for their next move. File it under “Must-Use Strategies” and then use it to your own benefit.

Care to share? Tell us your secrets for controlling the green-eyed monster when he comes to town and stomps all over your marketing plans.

Copyright 2008 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.

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Email Dina@Wordfeeder.com for a copywriting or website marketing quote today.

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