Businesses come to us with a problem they want to solve. Whether it’s struggling with declining sales, insufficient leads, or limited visibility, many of these issues boil down to the fact that the business is unable to tap into demand. Or grow their market share.
I’ve had a few ‘discovery’ meetings recently whereby the business in question is simply being blocked out by the competition. This could mean that they don’t rank highly on search engines, they’re being outbid on the top placements in Google Ads, their customers don’t recognise their brand, or their marketing just isn’t as widespread as their competitors.
Unless your product or service is truly innovative or has a unique selling proposition people genuinely want, chances are your brand is one of many vying for customers’ attention. In a competitive market, gaining the hearts (and wallets) of your customers is going to take time, careful planning and a deep understanding of the people you wish to target.
But here’s the thing: not many people want to hear that.
A solution to the problem that is quick, cheap, and has minimal discomfort or change is often sought. The reality is that if it were that simple, gaining market share or dominating Google would be so easy that every brand would succeed.
However, as we know, that’s not the reality. Not every business succeeds, and usually, there can only be one market leader.
So, when all things are equal, what separates the wheat from the chaff?
Understand the customer journey
Only 3% of your audience is ready to buy at any given time. When you are seeking quick results, this is your immediate set of buyers. However, you’re not alone. Your competitors are also trying to attract these with their product, service, content or ads.
So, that leaves another 97% of your audience pool at various stages of the decision-making process.
A third will simply not be interested – either in you or making a purchase. Another third is satisfied with their current product or service, so they will not pay any attention to what you have to say.
That leaves around 30% that are either thinking of buying, or can be warmed up to the idea of buying from you. These will either be at the awareness, interest or desire stage of St Elmo Lewis’ AIDA model. Definitely not ready to buy today, but maybe tomorrow or in the near future.
Quite often, your competitors will ignore this audience because they won’t impact revenue today. And that presents an opportunity, especially if you’re willing to play the long game.
Developing an understanding of their needs, motivations, behaviours and barriers will help you determine what marketing tactics are needed at each step. As the customer progresses from awareness to action, you will build recognition and preference.
This increases the chances that when people are eventually ready to buy, they will buy from you.
Make marketing a competitive advantage
Sometimes, your unique selling proposition is simply that you are better at communicating with your customers.
If you want to rank first on Google, you need to out-compete your competition by understanding what your customers are looking for and providing better experiences. Whatever your competitors have done to rank highly, you must exceed that benchmark.
If you want your customers to engage with your ads, then your messaging, creativity and targeting must be finely tuned to ensure they resonate with your audience (far better than your competitors can).
If you want to build closer ties with your audience, you will need to inhabit their spaces, becoming part of their ecosystem congruently. That means finding mutually beneficial sponsorships, engaging in their community and listening to what they say.
Unfortunately, building a competitive advantage through marketing is unlikely to be quick. But if done correctly, with your customer in mind, you can utilise marketing to help convert the 30% of your audience that could buy from you in the future.
What’s this got to do with branding?
Everything!
Building a brand is not just a case of crafting a logo and some visual assets.
Building a brand requires forming an identity in your consumers’ minds. And in order to do this successfully, you need to be able to position your brand favourably.
How do you do that?
To effectively position your brand, it’s essential to consistently communicate, showcasing that you understand their preferences, needs and motivations (see Understand the Customer Journey).
Every interaction—through social media, your website, or marketing—should reinforce this narrative to build trust and familiarity. As customers relate to your brand, they are more likely to choose you over competitors.
In a crowded marketplace, it’s not just about being seen but being remembered. And, ultimately, being remembered for all the right reasons.
