No differentiation, no brand: 5 questions that zero in on your point of difference

Launching the next never-seen-before category buster? Brand differentiation is probably not a problem.

More likely, you’re in an industry – business services? plumbing gaskets? – with dozens of competitors all offering pretty much the same thing. Setting yourself apart from the crowd is a huge challenge. But it’s the best sort of challenge, because it forces you to drill down to the fundamentals of your business strategy.

To get started, here are 5 key questions that should help you locate your most compelling point of brand differentiation:

1. What can we do that no one else in our industry is doing?

Identify the products, skills, capabilities, expertise and knowledge that are yours alone and give you your competitive edge.  If you don’t have any, it’s time to get some.

2. What customer problems do we have a unique or superior solution for?

Figuring out what the customer’s problem is the real key to brand building. Don’t assume. Ask, and ask again. The very best outcome to your analysis of customer needs is to create a new market category or sub-category – one that meets needs in a new way and in which you are the only player

3. What unique ways are there to present or deliver our products and services?

Sometimes differentiation can come more in the packaging and delivery than the product itself. It’s not really your product that matters, it’s how your customers experience it.  Which leads us to…

4. How can we create a customer experience that is like no other?

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What could you do to make them feel great, in a unique or unexpected way? Are there practices or techniques you could borrow (okay, steal) from other industries?

5. How can our brand personality set us apart from the crowd?

No, companies aren’t people. But a strong brand personality can change everything about how customers relate to your brand – for better or worse. Or you can have a bland, diffuse or absent brand personality, in which case nobody will notice or remember you. Don’t make the mistake of confusing your brand’s personality with customer personas… or worse, your CEO’s personality.