Inspiration comes from many places. Many might even say they’re “swiped,” depending on how it’s done.
You’ve probably heard this quote before:
Good artists copy, great artists steal
Pablo Picasso
However, it has been done for centuries by many famous artists, including Shakespeare.
The Swipe File: Everybody’s Doing It, I Won’t Tell Your Mom…
It’s something we see regularly. Companies copying each other’s ad campaigns. Different manufacturers producing similar products. Movie studios coming out with films that have similar plotlines. (I remember one summer where there were 2-3 movies involving asteroids.)
Or they remake the same films, over and over again. For example, how many times have we seen the Spiderman franchise reboot? Not to mention Star Trek. (And yes, I am a fan of both.)
Why does this happen?
Because it’s so much easier to “steal” and then improve on another person’s work than it is to come up with an original idea yourself. Yes, companies actually keep something called a “swipe file” of ideas from other companies to use as their own marketing. I’ll talk more about this below.
You’ve probably heard someone say there’s no such thing as an original idea anymore. That everything has been done already and we’re just revamping things to make them look original.
Well, there is some truth to this.
The flip side of this is, people want to do something that has already proven it works. That’s why there are so many marketing formulas out there in the world.
Someone finds a repeatable formula, which they share with their audience.
Someone in that audience makes improvements on that formula, which they market as their own idea, and share with their own audience.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
The point being, if you see something that works, don’t be afraid to “steal” it for your own business.
But please be polite and make it your own, instead of stealing word for word. (Yes, I’ve seen that happen. Including with copy I’ve written. It sucks, just saying.)
Instead, take the ideas and the structure, then put your own spin on it. After all, you want this to work for your business, which means you need to give it your personality (or your business’s personality.)
Like every good cover band, take it and make it your own.
Because yes, it’s okay to steal other people’s marketing ideas and make them your own.
This is a long-standing tradition in marketing and it’s done through the use of the aforementioned “swipe file.”
“What the Heck is a Swipe File, Tanya?”
I hear you cry.
Easy. It’s that huge physical or digital file where you store the marketing promotions that you find interesting. The ones that you think actually “work” and could get your company results.
Copywriters in the Direct Marketing world tend to keep their swipe file as physical copies of all the sales letters that come to their mailboxes. Many of them deliberately sign up for lists that will increase their intake of junk mail.
Digital copywriters usually sign up for email lists like crazy. I personally have an email address that I only use to sign up for other people’s lists so I can see what they’re doing, and so their stuff doesn’t clutter up my inbox. Here is a picture of my email swipe file.
Yes, we hoard junk mail.
Don’t judge.
I’ve taken screenshots of sales pages I like, I’ve gone through entire funnels,
just to see what they do and how they get people to say yes. I’ve even bought
products, so I can see their upsell sequence. (That’s the long string of
products they offer after you buy the first one.)
Why do I do this?
Because it’s educational. (At least for me.)
And because it gives me ideas for my own marketing.
This is why it’s called a swipe file. You swipe ideas from it.
You Should Swipe This Idea from Me
From now on, I recommend that you keep a swipe
file for your business.
If you see a competitor’s website and it has a few things you like, bookmark it
and add it to a folder marked “Swipe File.”
If you come across an advertisement or piece of junk mail that resonates with
you, stick it in a file folder on your computer or somewhere in online storage marked
“Swipe File.”
Create a swipe file email account, sign up for other people’s lists and let the
ideas roll in. (I recommend signing up for Digital Marketer’s list, they’ve got
some great emails.)
Then, when you need an idea for your next marketing campaign, look at your
swipe file for inspiration.
See, hoarding can be a good thing.
And yes, I recommend this to everyone I consult with.
Why?
Because it has three advantages:
- It shows you what works in your industry.
- It gives you inspiration you can adopt for your own business.
- You can hand a swiped campaign to your marketing team or a freelancer (like me) and say, “we want something like this, but with our messaging and for our company.”
That last one is a huge advantage.
It helps a lot when you can give your marketing team a starting point.
They will go out of their way to make sure your campaign is tailored to your company. (They’d better, or you should scrap the project and start over to avoid potential lawsuits.) But it is far easier to start with a clear-cut idea and shape it to a company’s needs than to take some nebulous concept and create a fantastic campaign out of thin air.
(Please note: This is doable. I’ve done it. But having somewhere to start makes the whole process much easier.)
How to Build an Awesome Swipe File for Your Business
Your next question is, “Okay, how do I do this?”
Simple.
Follow your competitors.
Sign up for their email lists. Follow them on social media. If they use direct mail campaigns, get on their mailing lists so their sales letters show up in your mailbox.
In short, pretend to be an ideal customer.
I know of marketers who have a budget for buying products so they can see what their competitors are doing. They use this information to improve on their own products and make their own campaigns better.
Do you need to be that dedicated? Probably not, unless you’re in a highly competitive market.
Next, follow similar products and industries.
These may not be your direct competitors, but they can still give you a lot of great ideas.
Remember, the idea is not to copy word for word and strategy for strategy, but to take the idea and shape it to serve your own company. You aren’t them. What you do and say shouldn’t be identical, it should have your own stamp on it.
Use your swipe file for inspiration, not to copy someone else’s ideas.
Finally, follow the most prominent marketing companies for your industry or in general.
Why should you pay attention to marketers?
Hello… We’re marketers! We do this stuff all day.
More importantly, we keep swipe files too. We find the ideas that work and use them for our own promotions.
Which means you can be pretty sure if you adopt these ideas, they’ll work for your company.
Put Other Marketers’ Ideas to Work For Your Company
As long as you make it your own, it’s totally legit to borrow ideas from another company’s marketing campaign.
Your swipe file can help you find the right combination of words and ideas to attract your ideal audience. And it can get you that much closer to your goals of growth and prosperity for your own company.
Speaking of “Swipe Files,” I’d like to give you one that will inspire you to write to your own email list more often. It’s my list of 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email. You’ll get 30 subject lines you can adapt to write to your own subscribers, along with writing prompts for each subject line. And it’s recyclable. You can use these ideas over and over again. Click on the button below to get your copy now.
Meanwhile, go opt into email lists and follow your competitors to get inspiration for your own marketing. You’ll find keeping a swipe file a very worthwhile exercise.