First, let’s understand how you can help customers make their choice in a cluttered category.
The most successful brands are those that offer ‘one-think shopping’. Although people have a desire for multiple choices, they also have a desire for ease of choice. But too much choice increases uncertainty. One-think shopping alleviates all this. It simply means the consumer can quickly make decisions based on the trustworthiness of your brand. This trustworthiness is part of your brand’s value.
Many brands and businesses do and say exactly the same things and the industry term we use to refer to organisations like that is ‘me too’. When we say ‘me too’ we are referring to the brands and businesses that are adding to the noise in a congested market, there’s no clear reason why a customer should pick one company over another. Being a ‘me-too’ does not mean you’re not going to make money as a business, it just means you will make it more of a challenge to grow and be as successful as your competitors who are investing in their brand and leveraging what makes them different. Many business leaders believe growth just comes down to effective marketing. However, marketing can only be effective when you have developed a robust brand strategy and defined what makes you different. By not doing this your marketing efforts won’t deliver the growth you seek because you’ll just be adding to the noise along with the majority of everyone else. Successful businesses need a point of difference to stand out in the market and achieve greater success.
Brands and businesses need to look at your skills, see how these add value to your product or service in a way that no one else is offering. Make your product or service the only one of its kind in its category. Don’t just be different, be really different. When marketing your products or services, remember, it’s easier for customers to see what’s different, than what’s better. Make sure your messaging is on point; emphasise the ways in which you are different from your competitors, not just similar.
Below are a few different ways you can differentiate your brand:
By design. Nespresso makes coffee consumption beautiful
By service. Specs Cart will keep sending you glasses until you’re happy, for free
By price. Odd Coffee Co sell at a lower price by selling repackaged, rejected surplus premium stock from premium roasters
By performance. Harley Medical Group provides its customers with leading consultants and surgeon
By breadth. Amazon offers the world’s widest range of products
By convenience. Uber makes calling and paying for cabs easy
By family. Harley Davidson welcomes motorcyclists into a brotherhood
By industry. Airbus serves only the aerospace industry
By territory. McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast-food restaurant chain
By outcome. DPD guarantees next-day courier service
By innovation. Apple keeps inventing the next best thing
By ideology. No ingredients in any Lush products are ever tested on animals and everything is hand made
By empowerment. Just Giving is the world’s leading online fundraising platform, helping charities to make more with GiftAid
By Style. The Mini has been an iconic car since 1959
If you would like Frost Creative to help you to identify your differentiating points, please give us a call on 01489 892602 or email [email protected]