Marketing Solutions 101 for Business to Business: Differentiating Your Business

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the Marketing Monday “Lunch & Learn” Series by Allegra Marketing. Each Monday, we share a post from a 4-part series of marketing information and ideas. This series will discuss the basics of marketing and will provide marketing solutions for enterprises looking to improve their business-to-business marketing. The topics that will be covered include defining the ideal client, differentiating your business, segmentation and messaging and communication channels.

We hope you enjoy Part 2 of Marketing Solutions 101 for Business to Business!

Differentiating Your Business

The next element of a successful marketing plan is differentiating your business from your competitors or positioning yourself properly to your target audience. Positioning can be defined as how your product or service is perceived by your target audience relative to your competition. Your goal is to create the perception, or an image, that is differentiated, unique and definable in the mind of your target audience. To successfully position your service or product, try the following:

• Define and create a list of your business’ competitive advantages
  These advantages might include lower costs, better customer service, higher quality, etc.

• Choose the competitive advantage that differentiates your business
  What you choose, or which benefits of your business you select, will depend on what positions your competitors have chosen and how you wish to position yourself amongst these competitors. However, some competitive advantages may be inconsistent with other products or services, too costly to develop or simply not strong enough to differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

It is essential that your marketing solutions and materials support the image or position you are trying to create. It is also essential for your business to know your potential and present competitors, both direct and indirect. You should examine your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your business. This will help you select marketing solutions and a market position that provides your business a competitive advantage.

Your market position should emphasize the factors that your customers or clients value most and those which differentiate or set yourself apart from your competition.