Every successful business has positioned itself differently from its competitors. This positioning strategy varies across companies. If you are a small enterprise hoping to become big a few months from now, set yourself apart with these tips. But why should companies sound different? There are several reasons. Customers prefer companies that sound and work differently. The latter are also more profitable.
However, be mindful of these two gaps while sounding different in the market. Pricing may not necessarily set you apart from your rivals. It is wrong to assume that competitive pricing helps in customer retention. A round of aggressive pricing by your rival may take your buyers away for a long time. Secondly, product selection may or may not help in differentiation.
Branding and Charity
It is important to brand yourself uniquely and consistently. A good example is the Red Oxx Luggage company. It has a very bold branding strategy as is shown by the bold font in all its messaging. This branding strategy is not only unique, but uniform as well. Red Oxx uses the same branding elements while communicating with its customers and trade partners.
Many companies try to stand out by focusing on their charity activities. This is indeed a smart strategy as it reaches out to a very broad spectrum, of the society. However, you can do this activity somewhat differently by doing on your bit on sustainability and other eco-friendly initiatives. The new age customer is very concerned about the earth he lives on.
Being the best at something
Your company can also stand apart from the rest by doing something better than the rest. You don’t need to excel in all the departments of marketing. Just focus on one customer pain point and deliver a world-class solution. A great example is that of LupinePet. This company specializes in dogs’ collars. But what is the uniqueness here? Keep reading this article.
LupinePet discovered that most dogs chew their collars and replacing the latter is quite expensive. This was one pain point that nobody in the pet industry was addressing. LupinePet entered this segment and today offers a unique returns policy to its customers who are primarily dog owners. Every LupinePet product is backed by a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. Isn’t it great?
Not comparing yourself with the competition and tone of voice
The best companies in the world talk about themselves and not the competition. You can’t compare a Rolls Royce with a Ford, and neither can you compare Nordstrom with H&M. These companies know that customers do a lot of research before buying. Buyers are all the time looking for uniqueness in their target brands. That uniqueness, in other words, is value.
Marketing is not just about ad campaigns. An important element of great marketing is your tone of voice. Many marketers overlook this angle which really sets you apart from the others. You could adopt a serious tone just like a bank or a light-hearted approach like Mailchimp. However, please ensure that your tone remains consistent in all your communication. Please continue reading.
Packaging and business differentiation
This marketing element is the only one that reaches out 100% to your customers. Packaging is anything but keeping your product inside a box. Great packaging makes a lasting impression on a buyer’s mind. Do not underestimate the unboxing experience of your customer. Is it easy taking out the product from that box? Did that box protect the laptop, etc. in transit?
Transparency and Variations
If you think you cannot stretch your pricing beyond a point, take the transparency route. Buffer is a great example to show how transparency sets some companies apart. This social media scheduling platform lets its customers see the former’s sensitive financial data. Customers can read Buffer’s sales figures, fees, and other critical indicators to understand how the company is doing financially.
Variations and learning
There is no limit to differentiating yourself from your competition. If your think your rival is superior, think about colour. If the competitor is offering five colours, you should offer ten shades to your customer. This strategy works well in marketplaces like Amazon and eBay where your rival is just next to you. Many sellers use this tactic to stand out.
But in the end, there is no substitute to learning what works and what doesn’t. This can work out if you observe your customer every day in your learning curve. Find out his pain points, his aspirations, and things that stop him from achieving his goal. You will get to note these things as your business continues to grow and develop.
Conclusion
To sum up, you need to stand apart from your competition because this way you get the top of the mind recall. Positioning yourself differently from your rivals fetches higher market shares, customer retention, and eventually greater profitability. There are various ways of sounding different from the rest. Some of these ways are packaging, tone of voice, and excelling in something.
