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Differentiate, Differentiate, Differentiate!
The magic is in the message
By Kim Peek
There
are times you want to blend in with the crowd...and then there are the
occasions when you want to be noticed.
A time to blend:
If you find yourself
standing in a police line up, walking a nude beach or ripping the seat of
your pants prior to the presentation of your life, you’d probably be most
comfortable if you didn’t do anything to draw attention to yourself.
A time to
be noticed: If you inherit a
million dollars with the stipulation that you get married within 48 hours of
the reading of the will; if you find you have back stage passes to the
biggest concert in music history with the opportunity to tour the country
with the band if you catch the eye of Mr. Big;
or if the future of your business depends on moving inventory— it’s
one of those times you really, really want to draw attention to yourself.
When it’s time to shine, no
one wants to be lost in the crowd. That’s one reason it’s so important
to come up with meaningful ways to differentiate yourself from the hoards of
competitors vying for your prized customers.
When it comes to advertising,
there’s just no way a generic message gets the same results as a
well-planned message that focuses on the advertiser’s strengths. Sure, you
have low prices, a huge selection and has been in the market
for 20 years. What’s new? How many of your competitors can say the exact
same thing?
Can
you leave your name or logo out of the ad and still identify who the ad is
for? If you can, you’ve succeeded in writing a commercial that will get
results. If the ad contains no distinguishing characteristics, why waste the
money? You'd better off hiring a sky writer than spending hard
earned money on traditional advertising.
If you want to break out of the
clutter, you must identify your strengths and weaknesses relative to the
competition. How are you better? Where do you fall short? What can you offer
that no one else offers? If you couldn't compete on price --remember only
one person in the market can have the lowest prices -- how would you
compete? What would you say to draw people in?
Differentiation does not mean
having the loudest ad with the most screaming. Nor, does it mean sounding
like an ad straight from the manufacturer. For a local advertiser, it's
important to tell the potential consumer what's in it for them--in terms
that are meaningful to them.
If you don't know where to start, try talking to your existing customers
about how they chose your business over all the competitors. What is
important to them when choosing a vendor in your category? Don't just stop
at the features and benefits. Find out what concerns they have--their
anxieties, how they use the product, their emotional involvement with the
product/service, how the product/service fits into their lives and how it
makes life easier or more enjoyable for them.
If you can answer these
questions, you'll be one step closer to finding that point where your
business goals and the consumer's needs intersect. And, that's where the
magic begins.
Life is full of those instances when we’d be better off to sit quietly
in the background and hope no one notices us. When business is at stake,
it's best to be memorable. Find the magic 30 seconds at a time!
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