"Muck-raker": one who investigates and exposes issues; synonyms include: spin doctors, public relations professionals, marketing flacks
Letter from the Editor…
Have you ever put your positioning statement on the same piece of paper as your key competitions'? Try it, and I promise you the results will be quite telling. As a person that does this for a living (comparing one company's messaging to its competitors, that is), I can tell you that time and time again I've seen more than one company in a particular industry using the exact same phrases to try to differentiate themselves. Putting yourself in the client/prospect's shoes for a moment, whom would you choose if the handful of companies you are considering all position themselves similarly?
When you take this process a bit deeper and also compare your key messages, proof points and customer value statements against your competition, you will be amazed at what you find. Invariably companies leverage "key differentiators" that they believe distinguish them from everyone else. But, what I've learned is that most companies develop these messages in a vacuum without first comparing themselves to the competition.
Here's an example…I had a client that sold financial services and positioned itself as a firm that has serviced well over 12,000 clients in the U.S. After my analysis, however, I learned that their top two head-to-head competitors had similar messages. Here they are:
Competitor 1: We have served over 75,000 multinational clients across 85 countries
Competitor 2: With offices across 18 countries, we have helped greater than 35,000 companies…
With this analysis, suddenly my client's "12,000" figure looks quite small in comparison. Based on these findings and others, I advised this company to take out the "12,000" figure in their message and come up with a more general statement that took them out of the tit-for-tat game of who has the most clients.
Just like everything else good in life, effective key messaging takes time and you owe it to yourself to do your homework before communicating tarnishing messages about your business to clients and prospects.
Commentary from the PR/Marketing/Graphics Industry
Question: ""If you're a small business of any kind, what is the first thing you would do to brand yourself?"
"There's a book from former Apple employee, Guy Kawasaki. In it he suggested choosing a name that begins with an A or a B to ensure you remain high up on lists and so forth. The book is called The Art of the Start. My personal position was to choose a name that had a strong metaphorical link (A Sherpa helps carry heavy loads up treacherous terrain - like us PR folk!); the next was to find an image to go along with it, so establishing a relationship with a good designer who will help design a logo, web site, letter head and marketing docs can be important." (Greg Vitarelli, Founder of Sherpa Media <http://www.sherpanet.com/> Ltd.; Public Relations firm based in London; gv@sherpanet.com)
"I would get a smart logo and website setup for my business so that clients have a reference point. A professional web presence gives the clients a feeling that you're not just a fly-by-night company; your business is real and professional." (Anna Dalea, ERT <http://www.ert2go.com/> Website Solutions, anna@ert2go.com)
"If I'm a small business, I want to be sure I know what my core competency is -- what differentiates my company from the competition and tells my customers why they should work with me. Once this key finding has been made, it will become an integral part of my business strategy, messaging and branding. (Alicia Agugliaro, Covance <http://www.covance.com/> Inc. [drug development company at which Alicia is PR Manager], Alicia.agugliaro@covance.com)
"A small business must convey their spirit and energy by identifying themselves in the brand (who they are, what they believe in) in addition to their product/service. Nobody cares if you're XYZ coffeehouse and your prices are lower than Starbucks. Savvy consumers want to know why you are in the coffee business, what does coffee mean to you and how your passion for it will enhance their coffee experience. Your brand is yourself so make sure you are part of the brand." (John Kearns, PR Manager, Wescom <http://www.wescom.org/> Credit Union, jkearns@wescom.org)
