“When two men in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”
~ William Wrigley, Jr.
Unless you’re servicing a totally unique geographic location (like out in the middle of nowhere), the same holds true for your business. When two companies provide the same exact service and put out identical messaging that lacks a customer benefit-driven USP (unique selling proposition), one of ’em is redundant. And thanks to the umpteen competing sites on the world wide interwebs, this has never been truer than it is today…a zillion times over.
What makes you so special?
So, what’s unique about your business? Your message? Your brand? If you reply “Service!” you better be 101% sure it’s on par with the folks at Zappos.com (translation: exceptional) and so over the top that people can’t stop buzzing about it. Zappos’ stellar 24/7 “bend over backwards” customer service is truly contortionist-worthy: free shipping both ways, a one-year, no-questions-asked return policy and their unwavering can-do-it-ness that’s baked right into every single thing they do. Without this distinct difference (there’s that USP thing again), Zappos would be just another “me too” online retailer competing with countless other “me too” online retailers. And without that holy grail of uniqueness, you can kiss customer loyalty – not to mention WOW-inspiring branding – goodbye.
What are the ways your company brands itself?
How does your company “speak?” For starters, take an objective look at the copy on your website and marketing pieces. Better yet, ask a few unbiased folks for their opinion. Does the tone and copywriting style resonate with your customers and/or prospects in a meaningful way? Or are you just throwing batch after batch of bland, “copywriting helper” filler against the wall, hoping something will stick?
Does your website look just like every other Tom, Dick and Henrietta’s? When your logo is the only distinguishable difference between your marketing materials and theirs, you’ve got trouble right here in River City, my friend. If your website’s look, feel and messaging are just another forgettable variation of been there, done that? That’s not a WOW – it’s YAWN. And in today’s super-competitive business climate, you simply cannot afford to be forgettable. You either step it up or step aside.
Need a branding boost? A perception pick up?
Never fear. Branding and marketing is what we do, and we’re mighty good at it. (See, that was a bit of our TFG brand swagger right there!) We’d love to help create and carve out your company’s own unique niche, so give us a shout. Hint: It’s much more involved than just your logo and/or website design – and we can talk about all that stuff, too.
