Marketing is all about personality. Before all else, the focus of your marketing efforts should be building out your brand identity and finding what makes you special among your competitors. You need to stand out from the crowd – with your message and delivery strategy, make sure you’re doing it your way. Here’s how:
Step One: Find It
A key to strong marketing is finding your brand’s unique selling proposition, or USP. This is the thing that makes what you offer different from your competitors, and it should be the center of your marketing strategy. Don’t worry about what others are doing – focus on standing out. If you start copying your competitors, you flood the market with messaging that all looks and feels the same, hurting your chances of grabbing new eyes. So, start by finding your USP.
Don’t know how? It’s a lot easier than it may sound! Start by listing your competitors and looking for what you do differently. Maybe you have lower costs, better service, or programs no one else offers. Any of these could be your USP! Instead of trying to mimic what your competitors are doing, find a way that your USP contrasts what they offer. Show how you’re different!
If you’re not sure if your USP is versatile enough, try writing it out as a mission statement. Find a way you can apply what makes you unique to all parts of your organization. Maybe you have one thing you do better than everyone else – how does that one thing affect every part of your organization? By putting it into words and asking yourself questions, you can start establishing your brand and finding your corner of the market.
Step Two: Own It
After you’ve found your USP, you have to figure out how to use it. Whether it’s through the channels you choose for your marketing strategy – social media, direct mail, etc. – or the content in your collateral, embrace what makes your brand unique! Your campaigns should emphasize what only you can offer, and your promotions should intentionally deliver that message in a manner that makes sense for your intended audience. Think about personalization for your target market and making use of a multi-channel method that includes digital marketing and reaches people where they’re surfing and scrolling.
When you incorporate your USP into your marketing strategy, you can create compelling campaigns that stand out, connect with consumers and result in reaching your goals. If you need help, image.works has your back! Our 2023 Idea Book focuses on this very idea – embracing what is uniquely you. If you haven’t already, request a free copy and find out even more about how we can help you find your position in your market, reach your target audience and see real results.