It’s always hard to differentiate yourself from your competitors. How do you stand out in a sea of same-ness? It may be time to try something new, especially if you’re constantly trying to change, without adapting new methodologies. Incorporating these effective product marketing strategies can help you stand out from the competition, and connect with your audience deeper than before, and build a loyal following.

Study Your Competition

It’s a smart strategy, and it’s almost always a top recommendation for small businesses. But who really is our there doing what you’re doing? Is someone else resonating with your target audience better than you? Learn from your competitor’s successes and failures online, social media and others, and you’ll gain a deeper understand of your target market.

When studying your competitors, ask yourself:

• Why are people buying from them?
• How do they address weakness?
• How do the interact with their audience?
• What is their tone/voice on social media?
• Are they doing anything special to stand out?
• Which of their posts are doing the best and why?

Storytelling

It’s the best way to sell without sounding like you’re doing sales. Storytelling allows your audience to connect with your product by bring them into the narrative. This could be with behind the scenes with your employees, the product development process or simply telling human stories. Regardless, it’s an effective marketing tactic that is slowly taking over the advertising space. Telling stories and creating bonds with potential consumers ensures that your brand has an emotional side, instead of a cold, sterile company lacking in empathy.

Listen

This isn’t “the customer is always right”. This is simply creating a customer-centric product and marketing it effectively by listening to your current customers’ needs. Send out surveys, create private groups on social media, read reviews and talk to your customer support team. You’ll have a better understanding of your user base by leveraging their wants and asks and shifting accordingly.