Becoming Distinguishable

Are you following the same formula as everyone else?

This week I signed up a new advertising partnership on one of the radio stations I work with.

He is also going to use some other media including at least one other radio station. Each form of paid media is creating their own advertisements.

I had two challenges. First of all, was to distinguish myself in a meaningful way that he would want to spend money with us.

But the second challenge is just as important, and that is to distinguish his business from his competitors.

I have a plan in place and we start January 1st.

For more on this subject, check this out from Drew:

Marketing tip #81: Do you know what they notice?

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 01:46 PM PST

You probably bust a hump (and a decent budget) getting your prospects to notice you.

You study the demographics and know who your target market is. You are an expert in your industry. Your product/service is exceptional. Your marketing materials are professionally produced and tested well with the focus groups.

You got all of the big things right.

And you still may have it wrong.

So often, it's not about the big things. It's about the details. The tiny little thing that becomes the deal breaker or the deal maker.

Let me give you an example. My daughter is a high school senior and due to a lot of hard work on her part, a very successful student. As a result, she's being aggressively pursued by many colleges.

The mailbox is bulging every day with stunning four color brochures. She is receiving letters inviting her to bypass the regular application process and guarantees of academic scholarships of significance.

No argument -- all of these things are the right things. But she isn't noticing.

What's she's noticing is that one school seems to hold her in even higher esteem. Because they send handwritten notes. They take the time to attach a personal message on the drama page of their brochure because she's a drama kid. They send postcards telling her what's happening on campus that she might enjoy.

We toss around words like authentic and transparent. But you know what -- it's a lot easier to talk about than it is to actually do. It takes a lot of time to get the little things right. And you have to be able to sustain it.

So here's the question -- what little thing could you do that they would notice? And do you want their business badly enough to commit to doing it?

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