Dare to be different and break out of the “plain vanilla marketing” trap that so many businesses fall into. You will never be able to beat your competitors if your customers can’t tell you apart.

Try this… take the marketing message of your 5 top competitors and remove just their name, logo and any brand names. Compare them. I’ll bet they all sound almost identical. If you can’t tell the difference, think about how confused your customers are.

You have to give interested prospects a reason to buy from you. Find key differences between yourself and your competitors.

If you don’t see any real differences, create them. Think about what your customer is seeking that your competitors do not offer. What is your USP (unique selling proposition)? What are ways you can make your company unique and different?

1. Offer an unconditional money back guarantee. Use this to remove perceived risk. Couple this with an A+ BBB rating and you create trust.
2. Deliver faster: Figure out your industry standard and then develop a way to beat this. Ideally you would want to have the fastest delivery in your industry.
3. Free shipping: Offer free shipping or a free upgrade to next day shipping.
4. 24/7 customer service: Offer accessibility so you are reachable anytime your customer need you. It is about meeting their convenience and needs.
5. Offer more: Give more in a package, include bonus offers or give something extra. Costco is a master of this.

If your product is superior, then tout the differences. The key is to stand out in a crowd.

Figure out how to be a leader in your market. What is it that you are best at that would be important to a prospective customer? Market this difference(s). People will buy based on the important differences.

Related posts:

1. How to Get Your Website Visitors to Take Action
2. Writing a Marketing Plan
3. Relationship Web Marketing
4. 10 Ways to Improve Your Website Conversion Rate
5. Understanding Your Market