If you don’t stand out, you might as well stand down. To be memorable in the minds of consumers you need to set yourself apart from your competitors. For example, everybody thinks “Prius” when the subject of hybrid cars comes up because Toyota made everyone think it was the first hybrid (which it wasn’t). Establishing the Prius as the leader in electic cars gave Toyota a distinctive marketing proposition. Here’s how to determine your unique selling position to help you do the same for your business.
The first thing you need to do is get to know the other players in your market. Look at the competition: How are they marketing the product? What needs are they targeting with the product? Peruse their websites and their marketing materials, as these will tell you everything you need to know about how they’re positioning themselves. Also pay attention to the reviews to see how well they’re meeting the perceived needs of the marketplace.
This, of course, helps e-store vendors get to know the key customers for the product. Why do they need it? What benefit do they expect to derive from it? How happy are they with existing vendors of the product? Here’s another place where customers’ online reviews can be a huge advantage when you’re deciding how to create an ecommerce website to market your product. Is there an emotional need your competitors have overlooked? That itch could be your niche.
Once you’ve got a feel for what everyone around you is doing, take stock of yourself. What distinctive features or benefits can you bring to market that others have missed. Make a list of all of your attributes, as well as those of the product or service in question. Survey your current customers . Why do they buy from you? What is it about your ecommerce store they haven’t found anywhere else? In addition to your strengths, pay attention to your weaknesses. Do you have vulnerabilities that could be undermined by a new competitor? Make every effort to honestly evaluate yourself so you can counter your limitations.
Once you’ve identified your advantages, go through them one by one discarding the ones your competitors can readily imitate. When you complete the list, boil each item down into short phrases around which you can craft marketing messages. Said succinctly, the advantage you tout should be yours alone and it should answer the burning question in every customer’s mind: “What’s in it for me?”
Craft your exclusive message around that question and you’re golden. Consider the following examples:
- Plop, plop, fizz, fizz — oh what a relief it is…
- The ultimate driving machine…
- Finger lickin’ good…
- When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight…
These four phrases are so intrinsically intertwined with the brand that our brains immediately think of the products offered. Notice however, in addition to being catchy sayings, each phrase answers the question: “What’s in it for me?”
When you developing your message, make sure the advantage is something you can deliver consistently. It has to be something you can do all day, everyday. Once you become known for it, your customers will expect to encounter it every time they deal with you. When you’ve found it and come up with a distinctive way to verbalize it, you will have learned how to determine your unique selling position.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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