Psst… Connect Lease, Here’s 3 Do’s and Do Not’s to Improve Your Marketing
At devEdge we pride ourselves on working hard to know the ins and outs of our client’s businesses. Helping to identify what makes their companies unique and how they can market their strengths to achieve business growth.
In fact, helping our clients develop a strong marketing message is at the core of the work we do. And we think we do it well. That’s why it’s gratifying when other marketers agree so strongly they copy our stuff.
The good folks at Connect Lease recently rolled out a new website with a marketing message that is flatteringly similar to our work for Thomcat Leasing. And when we say similar, we mean identical…
As Oscar Wilde said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.
However sincere the flattery however, it’s not good marketing strategy.
Why? Because copying means you are not focusing on your own company and its unique strengths.
Connect Lease, you’ll have a far stronger message if you can identify what you uniquely offer. Since you like our work, we thought we’d pass along a couple tips to help you create a marketing message that’s uniquely your own.
Don’t: Let your competition write the rules…
DO: Market Your Strengths
Sure you’re in the same business, but what sets you apart from Thomcat Leasing?
It’s critical that you understand what your business uniquely has to offer. Speed? A better product? Customer service? What is your business niche? A great marketing message gets your business’s strengths out there, makes them attractive, and communicates your difference.
William Bernbach, a highly influential advertising guru in the ‘60s and ‘70s, was famously blunt saying, “In advertising not to be different is virtually suicidal.”
Following your competitors too closely will mean getting lost in the crowd.
Let’s say you share characteristics 1, 2 and 3 with the business you’re copying from, but you also offer 6 and 7. Copying encourages the potential customer to assume they already know what you’re about. Those extras may be cool, but no one’s paying attention anymore.
Your list of leasable equipment is a carbon copy of Thomcat Leasing. What do YOU do that makes your company different?
Don’t: Follow all the trends…
Do: Differentiate Your Brand
Sure, advertising has trends just like everything else, but how you use those trends is what sets your business apart. Challenge your marketing team or web design company to be creative and not just cut and paste what’s working for others. When your web designer, Kelowna Website Design, created your website they had an opportunity to further your marketing message and create awareness around the Connect Lease brand. Unfortunately, that opportunity seems to have been missed.
Choosing to copy your competition is a sure way to lose your distinctiveness in the marketplace. We can all think of marketing campaigns that went big and inspired a thousand copycats.
“You need a ______ that works as hard as you do.”
“Got _________?”
“Making a better ______, one ______at a time.”
Got Boredom? Oh yeah. They may have been great the first time, but now they are immediately tuned out. Avoid the temptation to hitch your company’s future to your competition’s bandwagon.
Instead, catch your prospective client’s attention with a unique marketing message and make them remember YOU.
Don’t: Choose a marketing message that overreaches your capabilities…
Do: Follow Through on Your Marketing Message Every Time
We all want to put our best foot forward, but that needs to stay within the bounds of what your company can deliver in the moment. Be aspirational and forward thinking with your business plan, but not in your advertising copy. Advertising is infamous for making unspecific and unverified claims like “AMAZING” and “BEST IN THE BUSINESS.” But those claims simply can’t live up to their hype.
Nothing erodes trust and repeat business quicker than failing to follow through on a promise. We appreciate your approval of Thomcat Leasing 60 Second Lease Estimate form, but if you’re going to claim 60 seconds you need to deliver.
Your lease estimate form did not send our anonymous email a quote at all – let alone within the promised 60 seconds. A mismatch between your marketing message and what your company can deliver leaves your company at risk of losing credibility and trust.
Bottom line: If you look and sound exactly like the competition, your visibility is diminished and potential clients will miss what you really have to offer. Your business deserves better than that. Speak to your marketing niche with a creative, unique marketing message, that highlights what YOU do best!
If you need an equipment lease for your business, talk to the good hard-working people at Thomcat Leasing. You will get what we promise!
Identify YOUR Marketing Message
Grow your own business with a unique marketing campaign by devEdge Internet Marketing. We won’t copy your competition, but we will make your message so good others might copy it. Give our friendly team a call today and find out how we can help YOU leverage YOUR marketing niche and avoid getting lost in the crowd. We look forward to hearing from you!
