How do you separate yourself from the competition?

[paulgl]

Most Internet marketers position themselves ineffectively or not at all. why?
I would ask on how do you separate yourself from the competition?

Any shares?

 

[oldnickb]

The same can be said for the vast majority of businesses both on and offline. Very few businesses actively promote a Unique Selling Point.

Only about 10% of businesses have a strategy for differentiating themselves from their competition, and of those that do, the commonest is "We're cheaper than everyone else."

Think of all the businesses you can, on and offline, and then think what their USP is. Believe me it's not easy to come up with more than half a dozen.

On the internet the only chance you have is to choose a niche and then control it. I know of one particular microniche in the health market where there is one dominant player and about another six with a strong presence. If you dig into it you'll discover that all seven players are actually the same business, just tailoring their offers to different sections of the market.

Personally I never buy brand names, my ex on the other hand not only insists on brand names, she insists on the brand leader.
I buy a packet of ibuprofen at 39p she buys Nurofen super duper extra plus at £3.99. I keep pointing out that the ingredients are identical but she won't budge.

That gives you a clue. Decide on your ideal customer and then target your offering appropriately. Strangely you will find that the customers looking for the cheapest are frequently also those with the highest expectations.

Again the most important things to note are honesty, consistency and congruency. You need to establish your brand as an expert in it's particular field. I would have said that it's important to be yourself, but in an age of pseudonyms that perhaps isn't the case anymore.

Branding is a complex subject, and one that companies often get wrong. For every 100 new products launched only 5 are successful, and these are companies with years of experience and huge budgets so even the experts struggle to know what is going to catch the public's imagination.

 

[elcidofaguy]

For me its down to clear explanation of benefits and a USP that makes it a no brainer! Typically that also includes offering a ton of valuable bonuses whether its affiliate marketing or direct sales...