Differentiation is the Key to Real Success

If you don’t have a successful role model to emulate, look at what all the other people are doing and don’t do it. – Earl Nightingale

If you want to be really successful in business, you must differentiate your product or service in a meaningful way. I consider this the golden rule of marketing. Disregard this rule and, in the eyes of potential customers, you will appear the same as everyone else. In such situations, customers make their buying decision based mostly on “price.” As a result, your profit margins will suffer needlessly. Follow this rule and promote the compelling benefit your product or service offers and you’ll be in the driver’s seat, selling on “value” and achieving higher sales volume and higher margins while your business grows and prospers.

How can you clearly differentiate your business and put yourself in this position? When developing your unique selling proposition (USP) look for an advantage that customers can get only from you and make sure they perceive it as being valuable. This advantage should be something that your competitors are not offering and cannot easily copy. Even if they make an effort to copy it later on, you would still be able to position your firm as the first company in a particular market or industry to offer it.

Here is an example of differentiation:

Boston is well known for its rich history and many historic sites easily accessible on foot. Its nickname is "America's Walking City." According to the Feb. 4-10, 2005 issue of the Boston Business Journal, 3,000,000 people walked Boston’s Freedom Trail in 2004. The majority of these individuals took self-guided tours while others participated in group walking tours offered by several organizations. I’ve taken many of these tours myself.

By the time I decided to establish my own walking tour business in the city, I had studied the competition, knew exactly what they were offering and made a distinct decision not to emulate them. Not because I thought their tours weren't well run, I simply felt the last thing the city needed was another guide doing the exact same type of tour. I was determined to offer something completely different.

My two hour tour would cover 14 historic sites along Boston’s Freedom Trail but would also take participants back in time in a way that no one else ever has or could. I would reveal stories passed down in my family for over 200 years about life in early Boston including a connection to the Sons of Liberty and Paul Revere. Participants would “hold history in their hands” as I shared my extensive collection of rare newspapers printed in colonial Boston from 1769-1805.

I would position myself as a published children’s book author who had done extensive genealogy research and turned the story of his early Boston ancestors into a tale of historical fiction. The audio version of my book, One April in Boston, would be given away free to each group as a unique premium. Again, something that only I could offer.

The tours were promoted to schools, families and groups with great success and I continue to offer them, mainly on weekends, each year. As a tour guide, I don’t dress in colonial costume (that would be emulating the competition) but participants find it intriguing that my early Boston ancestors actually did!

I hope this example of differentiation will start the wheels turning and motivate you to develop unique ways to set your own product or service apart.

Fall Update 2005 - The differentiation continues... the MP3 download version of One April in Boston was just released and our school programs expanded.

Every student who participates in our school programs receives free access to download the MP3 audio files which can be played on a home computer, burned on 3 CDs or transferred to an iPod. Participants can also view illustrations and color photos from the book itself online.

For assistance with your marketing strategy, including developing a compelling USP that will strongly differentiate you from the competition, contact Ben Edwards today at 617-670-1888, ext. 1.

What's in it for Me?

That’s the exact question your target audience is asking every time they read one of your marketing communications. So many marketing pieces and websites are ineffective because they don’t address this basic issue. They are self serving, “inner-focused,” telling the reader how great “we” are and what “we” do and don’t address what’s in it for the prospect – such as how “you” benefit, how “your” concerns are addressed and how “your” needs are met.

Here are two simple tests that will help you analyze your existing advertising and identify what makes you take action:

Test #1

Take an objective look at your current marketing, both in print and online. Does it convey a compelling benefit and speak directly to the prospect or is it self serving and company focused? How many times do the words “you” or “your” appear, compared to “we,” “us,” and the name of your company?

The Write Marketing Group website is an example of a marketing communication tool with a strong “you” focus.

Test #2

In your mail, on television, and online you see plenty of advertising each day. Pay close attention to the ads and direct mail pieces that peak your interest and get you to take action. What is it about them that worked? Were you attracted to some self serving drivel about how great the company is or how impressive their services are or did the ads promise a solution to “your” problem or contain a specific benefit that really got your attention?

For assistance writing customer-focused advertising and direct response copy, contact Ben Edwards today at 617-670-1888, ext 1.

Nothing Happens Until Something Moves

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." – Goethe

I love this quote. When I started Write Marketing Group, I located these words on a note card and decided to use the card to announce that I was officially open for business. I included a press release and sent it to all my clients and prospects.

I do quite a bit of reading on a variety of topics, both business and personal, and recently saw the second sentence of this same quote referenced in a book called Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves by Robert Ringer.

Robert Ringer’s books have appeared at the top of the New York Times bestseller list and he is one of the most successful self-published authors of all time. As a self-published author myself, I know the hard work and commitment that takes. Now, I’m not trying to start a book of the month club or anything but I can recommend Ringer’s latest book highly.

In Action!, Ringer notes that Goethe’s words had a great impact on his life and that he chose to modify them for his personal use to read, “Action produces genius, magic, and power.”

Like Robert Ringer, I believe that in business and in life bold action can lead to great things. For all the entrepreneurs reading this, another quote from legendary management theorist Peter Drucker comes to mind, "Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision."

On the path to continued growth, you’ll forever be faced with such decisions. How you respond determines your destiny in business and in life. It’s that simple.

As a marketing consultant and copywriter my objective is to create direct-response advertising that overcomes inertia and motivates people to take action. And to take action now. That’s what my clients are looking for.

Many small business owners are also in an inert state, afraid to act because they either don’t have the proper knowledge or are frustrated because past image advertising campaigns have drained their marketing budgets with little ROI to show for it.

With the right information, differentiation strategy and proper positioning all of this can change. Often times all it takes is an open mind and an experienced consultant to help you see what’s possible. Then you can make an informed decision and take action with confidence.

Remember - nothing happens until something moves.

Integrating a Blog Into Your Business Marketing Strategy

“Business has two basic functions, marketing and innovation.” – Peter Drucker

Successful marketers are constantly educating themselves about the latest innovations in technology and communication and finding ways to integrate these breakthroughs into their businesses models. In marketing lingo, they become early adopters.

You fit this mold as a consumer if you couldn’t wait to get your hands on a DVD player or an iPod once they hit the market. If that sounds like you, we’ve definitely got something in common!

We live at an exciting time. Innovation is everywhere. Much of the terminology hasn’t made its way into the dictionary yet. Are you up on the latest?

• Blog – (short for web log) is a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and web links.

• Podcasting – A web-based broadcast medium that delivers audio content to iPods and other portable media players on demand, so that it can be listened to at the user’s convenience.

• PowerShow – The web’s cost-effective answer to a traditional TV commercial. A multimedia presentation that utilizes music, audio and testimonials to sell a product or service with impact and emotion.

The focus of this post is blogs. To the visionary business marketer, blogs aren’t merely a diary of personal thoughts, they’re a convenient way to add fresh content to a business website that keeps readers/customers coming back. Blog templates enable you to update a web page via a browser without the need to launch an HTML editor. All the templates and extra features you’ll need are at your disposal and with blogger.com, it’s simple and free!

For business applications, I recommend writing your blog posts in a conversational style, and combining personal experiences with content and web links that offer real value to the reader. In addition to free reports and industry white papers, blog posts and links are an excellent way to expand your education-based marketing strategy.

Add blogging to your marketing tool kit today!

Who is Ben Edwards and How Can He Help My Business?

Thanks for visiting. Here's a little about me that family, friends and clients know. At least I think they do! I obtained my marketing education at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island where I also developed a serious interest in journalism. After college, I followed the path of one of my favorite historical figures, Benjamin Franklin, and became a printer when I purchased a small commercial print shop in Connecticut with my college roommate.

Yes, I actually did work on the press, but wasn’t very good at it. Much like Ben Franklin I sought more creative pursuits like writing, and also marketing and sales. When we built and moved to a larger facility two years later, I opted to utilize my marketing education, writing and sales skills to benefit the business full time. No more ink on my hands just in my pen!

The company, Edwards Printing Services, eventually surpassed $3 million in sales and during that period I developed and acted as a consultant to several key accounts, the largest being BIC Corporation. In 1997 I started to establish clients in the Boston area including the Paul Revere House.

I’ve always had a passion for the city my Edwards ancestors called home during the American Revolution. In fact, my namesake Capt. Benjamin Edwards was 20 years old, married and living in the North End in 1706, the same year Ben Franklin was born less than a mile away!

You can find my complete bio here, along with links to special free revenue-enhancing reports and further information on the many ways I can help you grow your business.

Back to the story. A return to Boston combined with my writing and marketing abilities soon spawned a children’s book, audio book and later, a unique tour business. All created and promoted utilizing methods and resources available to my clients.

Write Marketing Group was established in early 2004 and my client base continued to expand. Edwards Printing Services was sold later that year to a competitor. Today I focus my efforts on helping small to medium-size businesses, non-profits and professional practices differentiate themselves from the competition and grow their businesses.

After business hours, you’ll find me networking, at the gym, on tour (actually “giving a historical tour” on the weekends is more accurate, although “on tour” sounds more impressive), at a coffee shop or restaurant with friends, or catching a game at Fenway Park. Yes, I’m a major Red Sox fan and have written a few articles about personal experiences at Fenway.

So, if you ever want to trade field box seats next to Ben and Matt for some marketing advice, just let me know!