When Marketing Your Business, Be Different

I’ve been working with one of my small business marketing clients on how to position their company (and of course, create content marketing that impresses). The topic of competitors sparked an interesting discussion about market differentiation when my client told me that they want their marketing materials to sound similar to the “big dogs” in their industry so that prospective customers will think of them as a good alternative.

What do you think? they asked me.

My answer? Never be afraid to stand apart from your competition. Figure out what you do that is different and better, and communicate that unique value proposition to your audience through your digital marketing channels.

At the start of our work together, my client’s initial reaction was that they don’t do anything all that differently…that everyone in their industry essentially does the same thing. They referenced their exceptional service and the fact that they are big believers in transparency when it comes to building the tools that they offer. Otherwise, they and their competition are all the same, they told me. They just want to be in the mix when prospects are considering working with someone other than Big Dog Competitor ABC.

Figure out how your business is different (because it definitely is).

They said it themselves: they are different. My client admitted that their service is better (and they had several solid reasons to back up the claim) and they always share their process with their customers instead of building software tools for them in a vacuum and presenting to them in a box with a pretty bow on top.

Companies that want a solution built for them and really don’t want to know how it was done or have much to do with it might prefer my software client’s competitors. But those who like to understand…who like to “pull back the curtain” as to how a tool works intentionally choose a company like my client.

Don’t underestimate your company’s strengths.

Something I see often is companies marketing themselves blindly without first figuring out what makes them unique from the competition they’re going up against. Worse, I see companies dismiss their strengths as if they aren’t worth talking about. Too often, companies look around at their competition and nod, as if to say, “Yeah, we do that too.”

This is problematic for a lot of reasons, but mostly because you cannot expect your customers to recognize your strengths and points of distinction if you don’t! And if you don’t know already, those elements are a huge part of how you market your business effectively through targeted, powerful copywriting and content marketing like blogs, case studies, and e-books.

Marketing 101: build a brand foundation first, then a marketing plan.

The bottom line: in marketing, you must know thyself before you set out to market thyself.

Can I craft your business, service, or product a well-written brochure (or newsletter or website)? Sure. Can I write much more powerful, effective website copy if I have a good understanding of your brand pillars, your points of differentiation, and your desired “what we want to be known fors”? YES.

If you’re going to go to the trouble of optimizing your website and posting regular blogs that boost your SEO, do it right. Don’t wing it. Even a little time invested at the front end into discovering what makes you (or your product or service) special and how you want to share that with your current and target customers will make a big difference in:

1. how effectively you articulate that in your marketing materials and content
2. how consistently you share your desired message and tell your story

Should you develop a brand voice and messaging platform now if you’re already in business?

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oops…our company never talked about this ‘what we want to be known for’ stuff when we started,” don’t fret. Many companies skip over that part and get right into launching their business, but later realize the importance of developing a brand messaging platform to guide their content marketing (and all marketing efforts).

It’s always time well spent to take the time to develop a brand messaging platform that outlines:

• What your business does
• Why your business is different and better than the competition
• Who your target customers are (and where you think you can find more of them)
• The pain points of your target customer and the solutions you offer that help them
• Why you’re in business/what you want the world to know about you

This is a great starting point to refine your brand personality and key messaging. This helps a content writer like me create distinctive copy that consistently communicates your company’s promise and core values.

Every blog post, press release, landing page, or other piece of copywriting or content should have messaging that supports your brand. A brand messaging platform is key to ensuring that happens.

Need help marketing your business? 

Contact Voice about developing a market differentiation strategy for your business and creating content marketing and copywriting that shines.