3 messaging mistakes that make your marketing invisible

Generic marketing feels safe. It avoids controversy, speaks broadly, and tries not to offend anyone.

The problem is, it also fails to connect with anyone.

If your marketing sounds like it could belong to any company in your space, prospects won’t see a reason to choose you. Today, I’m breaking down 3 reasons generic marketing fails and exactly what to do instead so your message actually stands out.

Growth Hack: 3 reasons generic marketing fails (and what to do instead) 🎯

Here’s where most “safe” marketing quietly falls apart:

ONE: It tries to appeal to everyone 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️

When you speak to everyone, no one feels seen.

👉 What to do:

• Define one clear ideal customer and write as if you’re speaking directly to them.
• Use the exact language your customers use to describe their problems.
• Remove vague phrases from your copy and replace them with specific outcomes.

TWO: It focuses on features instead of outcomes ⚙️

Features explain what you do, outcomes explain why it matters.

👉 What to do:

• List your top features, then rewrite each one as a tangible result for the customer.
• Lead your headlines with transformation, not functionality.
• Add a short “before vs after” section to your website or sales page.

THREE: It avoids taking a clear position 🧭

Trying to be neutral makes your brand forgettable.

👉 What to do:

• Identify one belief or approach you strongly disagree with in your industry.
• Clearly state how your method is different and why it works better.
• Reinforce that position consistently across content, emails, and sales calls.

Speed it up with AI ⚡

AI can help you move away from generic messaging faster:

1. Ask AI to rewrite your homepage copy for a specific customer persona.
2. Feed AI customer reviews or interview notes and extract repeated phrases and pain points.
3. Use AI to turn feature lists into outcome-driven messaging.
4. Prompt AI to generate bold positioning statements that differentiate your brand.

Tweet of the Week 🐦

True success is building a business you deeply value and wouldn’t trade for anything else. It’s not about being the biggest or most prestigious—it’s about creating something uniquely yours that feels right and meaningful.

Link Love ❤️

Here are some resources to sharpen your positioning:

👉 Why One-Size-Fits-All Marketing Fails (And What to Do Instead)
👉 Key Reasons for Marketing Failure and How to Avoid Them
👉 When Good Marketing Goes Bad
👉 Why Most Digital Marketing Strategies Fail
👉 Get your free 14-day trial of Book Like A Boss

That’s a Wrap 👊

Generic marketing doesn’t fail because your product is bad. It fails because your message doesn’t give people a reason to care. When you speak clearly to the right audience, focus on outcomes, and take a position, your marketing becomes impossible to ignore.

So take a look at your current messaging this week. If it sounds like it could belong to anyone else, that’s your sign to sharpen it.