Market Yourself Not Your Competition!

So what is marketing? To put it simply, it is everything you do to identify where your market is, who your customer is, which venues to use for advertising and how you present your business to the outside world.

Advertising is considered to be the glamorous representation of marketing and may include using web sites, print ads, flyers, radio, etc. This creates your “outside perception”. How people perceive you and your business. If you operate from a physical location, that is part of your “outside perception”. This also includes word of mouth from past customers or just people that know you.

It’s impossible to talk about advertising without talking about sales. Sales occur when your advertising has worked for you. Now you get a chance to educate the prospect on the advantages of your product or service. This can be considered your “inside reality”. Your “inside reality” is made up of you, your sales staff, service people, software, business practices, showroom, etc.

I don’t feel there is a great deal of difference between sales and advertising. In fact I prefer to think of them as the twin siblings of business. They may be applied in two separate physical environments but they should be addressed the same. I feel one of the biggest problems in business arises when you don’t see them as being so similar.

Take a moment to think about your “inside reality”. What makes you different than your competition? Why should the prospective consumer spend their money with you over your competition? Do you feel the consumer would be an absolute fool to spend their hard earned money anywhere else? If you don’t then I would suggest you look at how you can improve what you do to make that distinction between you and the competition.

Now that you are the absolute best in class for your product or service, what is it that you are communicating once you have the chance to present yourself in person? Everything in your “inside reality” should be educating the consumer on the benefits of spending their money with you. Help them to understand what makes you better value than your competition. Provide follow up service to ensure they carry your “inside reality” with them to provide you with more business. They will now become one of your least expensive and best forms of advertising.

But wait a minute. “I’ve done all of this but I don’t seem to be attracting any more business than my competition. I feel like the best kept secret in town.” If you feel like the best kept secret in town I’m not surprised. When I look at most advertising being done in this time of such intense competition I am at a loss to distinguish one business from any other in the same category. Everyone is using the same old platitudes and hyperbole. “Biggest selection”, “largest showroom”, “family owned and operated”, “best service”, “in business since 1900BC”…and so on. Or maybe you use “menu board” style by simply showing pictures of product with pricing. Just like the menu in a restaurant.

The easy litmus test for your advertising message is to ask, “Can anyone else say what I’m saying?” It’s not whether anyone else can DO what you do, but can they say what you are saying. If you could simply change the company name in the advertising piece and make it apply to your competition then you’ve got a problem. If anyone else can say (and likely is) what you are saying how can the prospect possibly know you are the best in class? Chances are that all of your competitors are doing the same thing. People are going to spend their money somewhere so it is likely that you are just getting your small share of the business available. As they say, “Even a dead fish can float down stream.”

I hate to pick on Lawyers but they are one of the easiest examples to demonstrate how bad advertising can get. Virtually every one of them simply lists the services they provide and then include platitudes like “A reputation built on integrity, experience and skill.” “Expert Legal Defense…” “Legal Strength you can Trust.” I can only assume from their advertising that they are all the same.

Without knowing the details of the product or service you sell I can’t give you specific cures for what ails your advertising but I can provide some general rules. I said earlier that sales and advertising are the twin siblings of any business and should be dressed the same. You need to be using the same language in your advertising that you would use in your face to face presentation. I was talking with a business that sells paint and I asked him what were the differences in the various brands and why would I pay more for his. I then ask if he used that information in his advertising. As a consumer I would consider that to be important before I ever had to enter his showroom and face the dreaded salesperson.

Understand what your prospects concerns might be about spending money on your product or service. Address those issues in your advertising along with how you can help them overcome their fears. Don’t be afraid of ad copy. Most advertising salespeople will tell you that the consumer won’t read all that you have to say. I say that’s nonsense. If you make it relevant to them they will read it. If they see that your headline is hitting on something that has held them back from buying they will read everything you have to say.

There is a formula for ad writing that goes like this. Interrupt, engage, educate, and offer. The headline should interrupt them. The easiest way to do that is address a major concern of the prospect. There are other ways to interrupt such as sexual images. This was used a great deal in the past. People used to say that “sex sells”. Sex doesn’t sell, it interrupts. The problem is if it doesn’t engage the thinking of the prospect you will quickly lose their attention.

Once you have their attention, engage them with some relevant facts. Expand on the issues they are concerned with. Next you need to educate them about how you can solve all of their issues. And finally make them an offer. Even if the offer is just to send them more information. That gives you a name to remain in touch with. Give them a reason to come in to see you or book an appointment for you to see them if that’s the nature of your business.

This may seem simple but you need to keep a couple of things in mind. You must be sincere! If you are not truly the best in class of all your competitors you will eventually be exposed. You may get away with it for short time but remember, they are part of your “outside perception”. They are your ad on the street. PT Barnum may not have really said this but contrary to the statement “there’s a sucker born every minute”, they will eventually bring you down.
The other challenge to this system would be the creation of the ad copy. Most people aren’t great creative writers and are going to need some help. That is a specialty all its own. I guess that’s where I could provide additional help. I am just in the process of building it but you can contact me at www.buy-ology101.com for more information.

Advertising can be one of the most challenging aspects of being an entrepreneur. Since most businesses use advertising that all looks the same, most of the money you spend is helping your competition. As a business consultant I have actually taken advantage of this advertising flaw by helping new business owners select the right location (close to the competition). With a few simple changes you can own the market for the product or service you provide. Be sure that your advertising is working for you, more than your competition.