Here's Why Your Marketing Efforts are Failing

One of the biggest reasons marketing efforts fall flat is because they have no competitive advantage.

In 2003 I took a marketing 101 class for my CIS degree. I largely slept on the information as marketing wasn't something I was interested in.

I just wanted to code.

However, one thing that stuck out to me was the principle of competitive advantage.

Learning this principle, understanding it, and implementing it into your marketing strategy is a must have to stand out from the noise in this current environment.

Don't Copy Content, Rather Analyze

One of the biggest reasons I see marketing fail is because people are just copying the same content their competitors have created.

Now there is some merit in analyzing good content. This is a smart tactic.

But where people get in trouble is they take their competitors content and marketing material and simply put a new face on it without changing or improving it.

Don't copy your competitions marketing content. Analyze it and create something better. Alter and change it to fit better with your unique qualities and benefits.

Create Content that Exposes and Markets Your Unique Competitive Advantage

When it comes to effective marketing, it’s all about differentiation. You need to find a way to make your product or service stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The best way to do this is to take some time and really figure out what makes your book, your brand, your product or service, different than the rest.

Notice I didn't say "better" than the rest. I said "different".

Better is kind of subjective.

You product might actually be better. But I suggest to focus less on what you think is better, and more and what is different, and let the audience find you that thinks your "different" is "better".

That’s why differentiation is such an important part of marketing.

Don't Look the Same as your Competitors

Of course, differentiation can be a difficult thing to achieve. It takes a lot of hard work and creativity to come up with a unique selling proposition that’s truly appealing to customers.

But if you can figure it out, you’ll be in a much better position to succeed in the world of marketing.

When you look and sound the same as your competitors, then people are going to judge what product they want to purchase based on things like price.

Do you want to be competing on price alone?

The answer is no. You don't want to be competing on price.

Trust me, you can't compete on price these days. It's a race to the bottom in this global economy.

Use Your Competitive Advantage to Compete on Value

You want to be competing on value.

You want to be competing on the unique benefits you offer. You want to be different.

But how do you do that? How do you make sure you're not just another fish in the pond?

It starts with your messaging. You need to make sure your website, ads, emails, and social media are talking about the unique benefits you offer, the unique plot of your book, the unique style of your business...your differentiation from the crowd.

You need to be different.

And you can't be different if your messaging is the same as your competition with a new face or a new design.

Finding Your Competitive Advantage

So how do you find those unique benefits?

Sit down and take some time to figure out what it is you do different than your competitors.

If your writing and storytelling is different, focus on that. If your creativity is different, focus on that. Find what makes your product unique, focus on that.

If you're struggling to find something that is different than your competitor, then you might need to step back and figure out a way to make it different.

Once you know what makes you different, hammer on that and make your messaging about how that uniqueness benefits the customer.

Thanks for Reading

I hope this old marketing 101 lesson has helped you learn a bit more about the fundamentals of marketing. And when you apply this to all your marketing efforts (email, social media, videos, podcasts, etc...) you'll find it's easier to pull away from the pack and find new customers, readers, leads.

p.s. This is the kind of content we put out several times a week within the Christian Writers Sanctuary LinkedIn group and paid membership group as well as weekly meetings and presentations, 1-on-1 coaching calls, and a wonderful team of people eager to lift you up in community. If you want to be a part of something like that, just DM me.