When you say:
“Our service is better!”
“We make amazing products!”
“We’re the best in the business!”
Your customers think:
“Oh yeah? Who cares!”
It’s harsh, but true. While claims like the ones above may very well be true about your business, on their own they’ll do nothing to help you stand out – because EVERYONE makes them.
In today’s hyper-competitive conditions, it’s really tough to differentiate your business and build a strong brand with a unique identity.
It’s tough, but it’s not impossible! Start by asking yourself this one question:
How do you want to be seen in the market?
You must proactively define how you will stand out, to keep customers from putting you in a “commodity box” along with every other company. And while you may have a long list of potential points of differentiation, choose the top 3 to 5 points of differentiation your target audience values most.
If you need a little inspiration, here are 10 ways your business could stand out:
- Service focus differentiation – only serve a specific niche or provide a highly specialized type of service
- Product differentiation – develop products nobody else can replicate; make things that meet the needs of customers in a way no other company can; or continually create products at the leading edge of technology
- Service excellence differentiation – treat your customers like royalty: make service faster, easier, simpler, more customized, more robust, etc. (for this to work, you need to be able to prove how or why your service is better, in a way that truly matter to your audience)
- Process differentiation – set yourself apart based on something your company does that delivers better results
- Customer differentiation – distinguish yourself by being geographically closer to customers than competitors; only serving a few key customers or a very specific type of customer (this is frequently called a “boutique” approach)
- Specialized expertise – stand out because your management or leadership has more experience, longer tenure, or specialized expertise in an industry or sector
- Value differentiation – deliver a better overall value for the customer (again, this value must be meaningful to the customer)
- Transparency/honesty differentiation – stand out by sharing news (good and bad); taking ownership of mistakes and fixing them quickly; or giving customers a view inside your company
- Guarantee differentiation – offer product or service guarantees none of your competitors can touch
- Corporate social responsibility differentiation – set your company apart as one that gives back to your local community or society as a whole
What makes your company unique?
BARQAR’s experts can work with you to develop meaningful, sustainable ways for your business to stand out. If you need assistance with any aspect of your company’s marketing, give BARQAR’s experts a call today!
Interested in learning more about differentiating your company?
If you’d like to learn more about how to write a value proposition that provides real competitive differentiation check out these posts:
A Value Proposition Template for Smart Marketers
Bad Marketers Have No Value Proposition
