When I talk about this to other people I think of a good friend I had once who always wore a unique hat. He was a man of average height but when he went out he would don his hat. It wasn’t a particularly tall hat, but it was distinct enough to be noticed in the crowd. So when he and his wife went shopping, she could easily find him amongst the throng of shoppers.
What kind of distinctive hat can your business wear so that others will see you in the crowd?
Here are a few ways that you can set yourself apart, how you can get noticed, how you can be heard louder than everyone else.
1. Unique Selling Proposition. A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a positioning statement: it’s like a business tagline that sets you apart from everyone else. It helps to answer the question, “what makes this business different from all the others?” which is a question each consumer unconsciously asks before spending his or her money at your store.
2. Differentiation. Some marketers might suggest that differentiation is nearly the same thing as having a USP but I think there are some differences. A Unique Selling Proposition is more of a marketing term – like a slogan, for example – that can tell a customer very clearly and distinctly what you do and who you do it for. Differentiation, on the other hand, is the whole package of action and services that back up your USP. So, if you claim that you sell sneakers to people who want to be athletes (which is your USP) you’d better have a website that looks and feels like it does (which is your differentiation). Many businesses often have a USP without the differentiation or they have the differentiation without a USP. I think you need both to be really successful.
3. Niche marketing. One way to get noticed above the crowd is not to get taller but to reduce the crowd! You can do this by developing a niche, which is something we’ve talked a lot about at www.morebusiness.com.
4. A powerful guarantee. Set yourself apart with a real guarantee. Have one that means something to consumers. If everyone else in your industry is returning 100% of a customer’s money, be the company that returns 200%.
5. Unbelievable service. Offer unbelievable service. In most cases, if you’re an online store, the service you provide may not be noticed by your prospects who are simply browsing around. But it will be noticed by your customers who will tell other people about the great service they received from your store. Don’t be afraid to over-serve a customer; it will help you to be memorable.
6. Different advertising. Many companies use this method to get noticed, but not all of them use this method effectively. Some businesses go for the shock value alone (for the “buzz factor” it will generate) while other businesses more effectively tie the shock value with their actual product or service.
