Competitive Positioning is all about defining your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and making it your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). It is about carving a niche in the competitive landscape and then focusing your business/product/service towards delivering on this unique strategy. Your ultimate aim is to outshine your competitors to become known as an “added something” in the marketplace – to be recognized as a provider of value in the marketplace. And you do this by positioning your business or product in a way that gives you an edge over your competition.
But first you have to get organized. How do you plan and execute a strategy for competitive positioning? What are the various strategies you can use? And how do you test and measure your strategy’s results? In this article I will give you an overview of some of the most important steps to take when planning your next marketing strategies.
First off, you need to understand who your competitors are and what kind of service or product they offer. You will also want to know who your direct competition is and what kind of marketing they do to promote their business. To start with, you can start with a comprehensive market survey of potential competitors. Once you have the complete data set, you can further conduct a detailed analysis of what kinds of marketing strategies would work best for you within the existing competitive landscape, and what tactics work the best with the existing competition.
Next, once you have the complete data set, you need to create a marketing strategy using the data. Make sure that the marketing strategy you develop fits your unique business and offers a solution to the customer’s problem. For example, if you sell tires, then you should not develop a specialized marketing strategy for flatbed trailers. A good example of this would be to launch a “Tire Trailers for Sale” campaign rather than a specialized “Tire Delivery” campaign.
Finally, when you have developed and tested your competitive positioning strategy, you need to differentiate yourself from your competition. You do this by offering a unique or distinguishing service that sets you apart. You might offer specialty services such as snow removal, bait handling, and winter road construction, for example. This will help you differentiate yourself from other tire dealers in your area that already excel in one or two areas.
These are just three strategies to develop when you are developing your competitive positioning plan. These are effective and simple to implement. They require research, analysis, and creative thinking. So put pen to paper, pencil to computer, or paper to grass and make your own strategy for successful and competitive positioning of your business. With the right strategy, you can elevate your performance to the next level.