It should have been a disaster.

The TikTok manager for a gluten free baked good company accidentally changed the name for their account recently to her own name. She thought she was updating her personal account, but accidentally did it on the company's page.

No problem, right? Quick fix?

Nope. TikTok doesn't allow you to change your name for 7 days after you change it.

So now, instead of "Sweet Loren's," the company's TikTok was now "Ryan."

During a product launch.

For seven days.

Why do I know any of this, not being someone who needs gluten free baked goods nor is on TikTok?

Because instead of it being a disaster, the company LEANED IN. Hard.

In total, over the seven days, the company made literally dozens of videos leaning into the joke — reaction texts from staff, contests awarding free product to those who changed their own TikTok name to Ryan in solidarity, even going so far as to have a Zoom meetup with other people named Ryan to exclusively launch their new flavor.

They took "weird" to a whole new level and made it a viral sensation.

The result? 12,000+ new followers.

46% increase in sales (just on their website, they also sell in stores).

Weird works.

I mean, think about it: John the Baptist, whose anniversary of death we celebrate this week, was a weird guy.

People probably had a "whoa that guy is WEIRD…but I’m intrigued" reaction.

They went far out of their way to go hear him speak. And once they did, they were hooked — not on his weirdness, but on his message.

They weren’t going to go far for yet another stodgy religious leader who said the same thing as everyone else in the same way (and sans camel hair clothing and locusts to beat).

John the Baptist's "weirdness" helped him to stand out.

It's why we'll watch "oddly satisfying" videos on social media or watch an ad even more closely than a show when they're doing crazy, unexpected things.

Entrepreneurship and marketing is hard because we’re so used to blending in. Growing up, you probably wanted to look, talk, and have everything that everyone else did so you didn’t stand out.

And then you get into business and ministry, and being weird and authentic is the NUMBER ONE way to stand out.

That's what makes us stand out in the noise, when we can figure out what we do that's unique and lean into that.

I heard an example recently of someone who's exploded on Reels because of a format that works for him: Listening to country songs until they say whiskey.

It's not necessarily as weird as eating locusts, but it sure is unique and different, and it works! Not just in "getting more views," but in the numbers that really count.

So I want to encourage you this week to figure out what makes you weird. (In marketing speak, this is called a "differentiator" — the thing that makes you different than everyone else.)

It can be something as simple as how your process is different, but it works even better if it's something that's truly out there. Something that really makes people stop and stare.

Maybe you have a crazy talent or a stance on something that doesn't matter to a lot of people but matters a ton to you.

(I would say mine is my adherence to the Oxford comma, but everyone SHOULD care about that!)

Then try creating some marketing content around that! Because weirdness doesn't just stand out; it also makes us feel connected with people like us. We feel like someone "gets" us when we see similar weirdness.

And guess what? People are MUCH more likely to take an action you want them to take when they feel like they know you and that you "get" them.

Weird, huh? :)

For His greater glory,

Emily

P.S. Here's an article from PR Weekly talking about the Sweet Loren's TikTok mistake-turned-brilliancy. It's a masterclass in responsive marketing right there.

P.P.S. This is the face of someone who filmed the last video for her dream course this weekend.

It was so bittersweet to wrap up my final lesson for Market Like Jesus, the course I've been dreaming about, researching for, and praying about for literally years. Please pray for everyone who is in our summer cohort (I'm done filming, but we still have a few weeks left together!) as they finalize their marketing plans — I am so, so proud of all the work they've done and the ways they bring others closer to Christ.

The main thing I learned in this process is that the live accompaniment piece is CRITICAL to all of this. Walking with them and giving them feedback live has been crucial to developing their plans.

All that to say — I would love to offer this again in the future, but definitely need to wait until a time when I can do it as a live cohort again. Since baby #3 will be here in the coming weeks, that likely won't be for several months, but if you missed out on this initial cohort, stay tuned over the next few months for an announcement about when I'll be able to run the next round!

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The best Cracker Barrel commentary I've seen So in case you missed it...Cracker Barrel rebranded. And it's...rough. But my friend Amanda had the best take on it and how we've done the same thing as a Church...and what to do about it. (Also, just a masterclass on connecting a trending topic to your niche. 👏) Read the post

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Free Christian Icons Just found this new resource for free Christian icons you can use even for commercial projects and wanted to share! Free Icon Site

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