Create a differentiation strategy

Business Benefits

Stand out from the noise and give people a reason to choose your business over others.


Be the first - get into the mind of your target market with a new idea, product, or benefit.

A good example of a brand who got into the mind of its users with a new idea is HubSpot, with inbound marketing. The fastest way to do this is by coining a new term that defines a common industry problem or solution.

Seek out a single attribute, important to your customers, and different from the attribute your competitors own. Market to be the leader of that attribute.

Zappos did it with customer support, WP Engine used speed, and Wynter is the only messaging research tool.

Use your heritage to create a natural psychological value for your product and make people secure in their choices.

For example, Red Wing Shoes were the primary suppliers for the US Army during both World Wars, and they’re still carrying that scent in their marketing.

Be the preferred provider - tool or service - for a particularly influential market segment.

For example, when it comes to A/B testing, Optimizely is the preferred provider - most CRO specialists use and recommend this tool. You might be the sales leader, have the highest customer satisfaction rating, or the best track record. Whatever the exact measure of leadership, any such claims must be specific and credible. Research the companies/accounts that you need to win as customers to become the preferred solution for a niche audience. Consider account-based marketing and demand generation approaches.

Focus on a single target user or use case to specialize for that target market, and differentiate from the many generalists.

A good example of a brand who specializes on a specific target market is Paperbell. It’s not just a scheduling and billing software, but a scheduling software for coaches.

Focus on a unique design or technology to make your product in a special way that is credible and sounds impressive.

This can be a secret ingredient or a branded methodology. It doesn’t matter if anyone understands it, as long as it sounds impressive and credible. A good example is Allergan’s CoolSculpting. It has been growing like crazy these past years, but do people really get how it works - other than freeze your fat off? No. Does it matter? No.

Be hot; be the thing everyone is talking about.

For example, Zoom became the hottest tool during the COVID crisis. It could’ve been Skype, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, or anyone. But Zoom became hot. And that led to way more hotness.

Invest in a better customer experience.

Last edited by @hesh_fekry 2023-11-14T11:55:43Z