If you search for the definition of a ‘brand,’ you will discover that a brand is, “a mark or symbol to differentiate one’s cattle from another’s”.
The word originated when ranchers put all of their cattle in a community pasture and needed to be able to tell which cattle belonged to them at round up time.
The key word in that definition as it relates to branding your business is, “differentiate”, but it takes courage to be different.
In today’s highly competitive world, developing and promoting your difference or brand is increasingly difficult.
But here is a clue to establishing your difference…it’s probably NOT in the product or service you sell. Others offer what your prospects often consider products sold by your competitors to be the same or parity products to your offerings.
The secret is to establish the experience you deliver as your point of difference.
Michelin does not own “tires” in the minds of their prospects, they own the experience they deliver…safety. By the same token, Pirelli does not own tires in the minds of car owners either; they own “performance”. Other examples, Maytag doesn’t own appliances, they own dependability with the lonely Maytag repairman, and Walmart doesn’t claim the department store category, they claim the low-price experience.
Marketing is a world of perceptions, perceptions that become reality in the minds of your prospects and customers. Every business can develop and deliver a unique selling proposition if you focus on the experience you deliver.
Many marketers tend to copy their competitors rather than establishing their own unique identity. Regardless how big or how small your business is, there is always a unique experience you can own and a share of mind you can capture with courageous advertising.
Click here if you need help uncovering your competitive difference with the 10 Steps to Courageous Advertising.
(Please be patient, your system will have to create the file for you in a pdf)
