Are You Following Your Competition Over the Cliff?
Discover Your Uniqueness, then Let the World Know What It Is.
I often hear business owners say, so and so is doing it, so I need to do it too. Or, "This is how we always have done it." These words make me cringe. As a business owner and designer, I relish in my ability to come up with workable solutions that bring out a business owner's uniqueness in all their design and marketing materials.
Whether you need business stationary, or a website built, keep in mind that what sets you apart from your competition is what will spur you on to success. (Yes, your business stationary is a marketing tool.)
Just because your competition is using one form or look, doesn't mean you have to use it too. If, in their marketing, they are hosting Podcasts, or using TV ads doesn't necessarily mean you have to use these mediums. Perhaps your business marketing model includes Google Ad Words, then again, maybe it doesn't. The same applies to print materials, a web presence, giveaways, social media and every other form of marketing mediums.
So as it is with every aspect of your business, look at what your Unique Selling Perspective (USP) is and use that information to your advantage. Use your talents and experience to come up with a new and better way of doing things. Have the competition following YOUR example, not the other way around. Don't be afraid to try something new.
This statement by Chuck Green of DesignLikes puts it all in perspective. "Follow the leader marketing and mirror-the-competition tactics ignore that all-important fact. The best marketing approach (we all know) is one that is invented for one specific organization and its unique circumstances. Ideally, it even includes some elements that competitors are not using at all."
Think about Pepsi and Coke. They have similar products, yet their marketing and even their logos are unique. While one company's marketing is youth oriented (The Pepsi Generation) the other focuses on taste, (the Real Thing). So too, you must find your USP and use the tools at your disposal that will best share that information with your customers.
© Copyright 2010 Ginger Marks
Ginger Marks is the founder of the DocUmeant Family of Companies, We Make YOU Look GOOD! For more information, visit http://www.documeantdesigns.com/. Her 2010 annual edition of Holiday Marketing Guide, Your business-marketing calendar of ideas is now available at http://www.HolidayMarketingGuide.com.