Do you want to stand out from your competition in your crowded market? Of course you do! But you can do even better. I’m going to teach you how to radically stand out and make your competition irrelevant!
Welcome back to our 7 Day Brand Challenge! Our journey is now 4 days away so let’s continue our preparation since we still have more planning and packing to do.
Journey Overview: Building a Brand that Matters
- Operate with Purpose
- Target Audience Identification
- Differentiate or Die
- Humanize Your Brand
- Know your core message
- Develop a storytelling framework
- Strategic Design
There are many strategies to differentiate your brand from your competition but before we can get into that you need to assess your competitors in order to gain insight of how you should be different. I want you to pack my competition analysis to help you find gaps in your crowded marketplace. This will help us create a more in depth strategy on our journey that makes your competition irrelevant.
Yesterday I gave you some insight about your target audience and I helped you define your dream customer. Just like yesterday, it starts with a new mindset.
I have had a handful of businesses over the past 15 years and I remember the days of losing clients to my competitors and feeling like I never measured up to them. Have you ever got the client breakup email? A client would give me some “it’s not you it’s me” type of breakup email only for me to find them being serviced by my competitor a week later.
I was so frustrated!
What are they doing that I’m not?
What do they have that I don’t?
Instead of laying in bed crying and eating ice cream from the tub while watching a movie😂
I scheduled a team meeting and told them
“we need to do things more like (insert competitor name.”
“Let’s do it just like them but let’s do it cheaper.”
“We can offer that too! – just like them”
“Me to! Me to! Me to!”
Everyone is a “me to” brand swimming in the sea of sameness.
This is another commodity pitfall that will prevent you from becoming a brand that matters and ultimately put you out of business.
Let me ask you, do you buy knock off Nike shoes?
How about a pair of knock off Prada glasses?
Try taking your kids to just any theme park and tell them it’s Disney.
If the grocery store is sold out of Heinz ketchup do you buy just any ketchup?
You don’t want a diluted version of the real brand and neither does your target audience. Imitations are never the same and always struggle with the fact that if consumers want something, they want the real thing.
Consumers want the brand that stands out as being the best option for them. They want a brand that is confident in who they are, who they are for, what they do and why they do it. They want a brand that is unique to them and not the same as the other brands.
Businesses that do this become a brand that is in demand, not some imitation brand they never heard of that somewhat resembles the leader but at a cheaper price point. The price becomes irrelevant to consumers when brands tick all of the boxes. Imagine standing out as the best option for your target audience, attracting them like a magnet and never competing on price ever again.
Commodities compete on price while BRANDS compete on intangible unique attributes.
I’m not trying to brag but I’m the best Dad for my 3 kids. I’m also the best husband for my wife. I’m not trying to be the best dad in the world and I’m not trying to be the best husband in the world. That would be silly.
I know my kids, I know what they want, what they need, what they desire, their fears and aspirations. Likewise I have self awareness and know my strengths, weaknesses, my unique value and the role I play in their lives.
I’m not competing with other dads. Who does that?
I’m not copying other dads to try and be just like them. I’m not trying to look and sound like them. I’m not trying to do what they do. That doesn’t matter. Other dads are irrelevant to my kids. They aren’t even in the picture because I stand out in my children’s mind’s and hearts.
I deliver on my promise to be the best dad to my kids every single day. Their trust, loyalty and love strengthens each day as a result.
I own the position in their minds as the best dad. If I ever break my promise, that will all go away and it will be very difficult to regain. Ask my kids who the best dad is and they will tell you it’s me. They don’t even know I strive to be the best dad for them, they feel the impact of my promise.
There are many intangible attributes I own that create an emotional connection and solidify a bond between my kids and I. I believe in something bigger than myself. I stand for something and I have a vision that my kids are part of. They have joined my mission to help me get there and have become my legacy. I clearly communicate my values and my kids share some of those values. My actions and behaviour make my kids feel a certain way – a way that others can’t possibly make them feel. My intangible attributes are so distinct that I occupy space in their hearts and minds.
Dad is just a word but it is the emotional connection, feelings and intangible attributes that give that word so much meaning to my children. I matter to my children and they care.
Standing out from your competitors while making them irrelevant starts with self awareness so you can be different than the other options in your market. You need to be the best option for YOUR target audience. When you know who YOU are for and strive to be the BEST for those people. You become the best option for YOUR AUDIENCE. You become a brand that matters to people who care. The people who care about your brand want nothing to do with the other options if you truly have a brand that matters.
The journey ahead is only for ambitious entrepreneurs. I promise you it won’t be easy but it will be well worth it. It’s for entrepreneurs who want to break free from the status quo of being just another commodity competing on price. It’s for entrepreneurs who want to soar higher and are ready to take a leap of faith and start a journey of self discovery and transformation. It’s for those who are seeking wisdom to unlock their true potential. It’s for those who know in their heart that there is more in life than simply making lots of money. If that sounds like you and you are ready to make a significant change in your life and business I want to guide you on this journey. An entrepreneur’s guided journey that will give you a true sense of purpose with a clear vision and plan to build a brand that matters so you can live a fulfilling life on your own terms.
Continue preparing because I’m taking only those who are ready in 4 days! We will talk tomorrow and until then, Brand with a Plan!
Your guide,
Mitch Sanker
Action Steps:
1. Download the competition analysis to find gaps in your marketplace.
2. Download the UVP to clearly define why your customers chose you over others.
