Unless you’re the government you probably have competition. You may be a startup looking to shake up an old vertical, or you could be an established company keeping an eye on newcomers, but competition is tough to ignore in any space. Here are a few reasons it’s more important to pay attention to your own messaging than the competition’s marketing.
Efficacy
If your company is newer than the competition, it can be easy to think, ‘they’ve been around longer, they must know something we don’t know’. It’s possible, but if your competitor were really dominant, your business probably wouldn’t have made it this far. Playing your game–instead of the competition’s game–means creating your own branding, messaging and goals. After all, if your messaging is in lock step with your competitor’s, it’s a coin toss between the two of you. Make it easy to choose your product or service over theirs.
Market Position
Let’s assume for a moment that you’re the new company in town and your competitor is more established. Use that! Make sure your users know you’re not resting on your heels and hoping they’ll stay happy. Highlight your selling points; better prices, better technology, better service…and back those claims up! Anyone can use superlatives like: best, biggest or fastest. Show your users why you’re better and gain a reputation for being better.
Ethical SEO (for Example)
If you’re engaged with a Colorado SEO firm or a bigger national agency, one of the things they’ll talk about is competition. How you’re ranking against your competitors…how your link profile stacks up against your competitors…how your domain authority compares to your competitors, but all those conversations should come with a caveat. What if your competitors aren’t practicing ethical SEO? If the company you’re trying to compete with has headed into questionable territory with link building, keyword packing or bot generated traffic…steer clear. In the long run they’ll get punished for their tactics and you want to be in position to gain…not right behind them getting penalized by Google.
Here is an interior design website generating content about Amazon. This is a great example of strategy to ignore. It’s just another reminder that you need to stay true to your brand, your messaging and the value you bring your users.
If you have questions about competition, messaging or how to gain market share, get in touch. We’d be happy to help you find the right options.