Pay attention! Sometimes the age-old and tried-and-true is the best beginning place for creating internet marketing success. As evidence, here’s a key strategy that is just as essential for business branding today as it was when commerce first got underway. It’s basic, it’s easy, and I’m going to say it four different ways:
- Be Unique.
- Stand out in the crowd.
- Set yourself apart.
- Highlight your differences.
Make no mistake, to be successful in today’s fast moving internet marketing world, you must have something unique to offer. You must have a feature to feature. And it’s the feature itself, not its packaging, that should first get your full attention
You can be certain there will be many businesses similar to yours online, some will be exactly the same (think health food products, home decor, electronics, athletic gear). But that’s fine! In truth, there’s something reassuring about sameness. It suggests you are alert to consumer needs or in-tune with the tastes of popular culture. It means you don’t have to talk people into something they’ve never yet thought about. But it also means consumers have many many choices.
So the big question is: why would anyone choose you over the other available options? What do you have to offer that will make you stand out?
When you can answer that question, take the answer, whatever it is, and feature it. This is the time to turn with zest to social media. Put your stand-out quality right out front–in a Facebook ad, a blog, on your webpage, Google+, Instagram. (Just one is enough to start with; you can add more as you go.) The point is to let your feature get busy setting you apart.
Remember, I said this isn’t new advice. It’s an old, common sense marketing strategy that was around long before the internet, continuing in various shapes and forms today. It’s why some hotels started including a free breakfast, others pet-friendly lodging. It’s the reason for late-night banking and bottomless fries and kids-eat-free. It exists because it works.
And it applies to internet businesses in a very big way!
Let’s say you make shoulder bags (fill in the blank–it can be any product or service), and let’s say you want to market them online. Give your bags a unique feature: a hidden pocket, an artsy corner imprint, colors with creative names. Then “feature your feature” so it will work like a magnet to pull prospective customers your way.
I hope you see I’m not talking about a big feature here, but something small, even subtle, that you can focus on. Something that offers a unique and creative element that sets you apart and is also aesthetically pleasing to an audience looking for something original. It doesn’t cry for technological whizzery but rather thoughtful savvy that gets your product noticed.
Maybe you have found an MLM opportunity that satisfies all your requirements for a sound and sustainable business. You love the product (or the service), the compensation plan is exciting, and you trust the company. You are ready to move forward. Now the big question: What does your MLM opportunity have to offer that is unique. What will set you apart?
Is the health product organic and especially appealing to kids? Or maybe an older crowd beginning to notice health challenges? Is the line of sports clothes produced entirely in the USA? In a designated “green” factory? Do you have a try-at-no-risk option? Think about it. What unique feature can you highlight?
Notice these features aren’t all about you but also speak to particular needs and interests of today’s customers. They aren’t just aspects you are promoting so you can be noticed (Hey, look at me!) but aspects that say “I know you care about the environment; so do I.” And “I realize an energy boost can make your day. I hope you will try this.” Or how about, “Why risk your hard-earned money? You can be confident before spending a dime.”
When you know what feature you want to feature, jump on it. Every business idea or MLM opportunity has some unique quality that will set it apart and speak directly to customers’ wants and needs. Find it. Feature it. When you do, you will have taken the first strategic step in branding yourself as a serious online business. You will also be ready to take the next essential steps to your internet marketing success!