In order for your business to have a competitive advantage, you need to create differentiation that adds value to your business’s brand offering. Many businesses get it wrong by investing in activities that do little to attract new business.

Identify the problems and frustrations that your market has and give it to them.

Good marketing relies on factual data, not on guesswork. You should know the problems, challenges and frustrations of your market. The market is actively looking for the best solution to their problem. Stand out from the crowd of competitors by offering them a high-quality solution and experience.

Communicate it in a style that they are comfortable with.

This is an area that many business owners get wrong. They struggle to communicate to their market in a way that will be well received. Some of the common mistakes include:

• Spelling, punctuation and grammar errors in their promotion materials.
• Communicating messages based on their own thoughts rather than that of their market.
• The message that they are trying to promote is unclear in terms of legibility.
• The message is unclear in terms of the core focus points.

There’s a great example of this in the third season of The Apprentice USA when one of the contestants decides to partake in his own promotional strategy to create differentiation, create attention and bring more customers to the franchise. Even though he did create differentiation, his tactic failed to resonate with the needs of the market and the values of the Burger King brand. Burger King satisfies people’s need to satisfy their hunger cravings. Secondly, they want to enjoy a meal that is quick, tasty and convenient. His marketing efforts should have reflected the needs of the market rather than his creative desires. You can watch what he does at 36:49 in the YouTube video below.

Use sales-driven branding tactics.

Sales are the best way to improve your brand. Create opportunities by pitching your business’s offering, while exposing your brand to a relevant market. There are several marketing channels that you can leverage to engage in direct marketing activities, however your decision on what channel to use must be based on the needs of your market. For example, you will have little success engaging in Facebook marketing promotions if your market isn’t tech savvy and they are typically only available via fixed line phones. Understand how your market communicates and then use those channels to reach out to them.

A few channels that you can use include:

• Direct telesales marketing
• Door to door sales
• Sales letter marketing
• Email marketing
• Paid search
• SEO
• Display marketing
• Guerilla marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Social media marketing
• Content marketing
• Point of sale marketing (such as pull up banners)

Sell your story!

Forge your own brand identity by developing the story of your business. Ask yourself, what are the values that your business stands for? What is the vision or mission of the business? What is the promise that your product or service to customers? The story of your brand is ultimately based on the experience that your business’s staff and customers will create. Forge this brand identity exactly the way you envision it and then sell it to the masses.

Focus on improving the perceived added value of your product or service.

No matter what type of marketing you engage in, it needs to add to the value of your business’s brand. This might be in terms of increased impressions, conversions and value perception. Essentially, you want to increase your marketing reach, sales and referrals.

It is important to facilitate marketing activities that make you stand out from the competition and allows you to draw in more demand and sales for your business.

Article Written By: Elizabeth Smithson