If Your Brand Has Competitors…Congratulations!
Yes, we know how ridiculous that sounds, but the truth about business and marketing is that competitors aren’t the problem, internal confusion is.
If you have competitors, that means there’s a market for what you do. If you don’t have competitors, that means your product has to be so good that it creates new audience segments all from scratch. Which is often harder, more expensive, and riskier.
From our perspective, competition is simply proof there’s demand for what you sell.
Your competitors simply reflect what’s working, what’s missing in the market, and even what your customers still want. So we encourage you to stop fearing competitors, and use them to clarify who you are, where you stand in the market, what you do best, and where you hold a competitive advantage.
Blog in a Snapshot
If you don’t get to reading anything else, although we hope you stick around, here is our blog in a snapshot:
- Competition is proof of demand: if others are doing what you do, there’s an existing audience ready to buy
- Identifying your point of difference is important to know how you can stand out in the market, and where your brand presents unique value…lean into this!
- Use competitors as research to identify market opportunities; study their weaknesses, customer feedback, and blind spots
- Your brand and user experience are your edge; by creating a seamless and emotionally resonant customer journey, you can effectively build trust and loyalty with consumers
- Stop selling the features, and focus on selling the solution and how you solve the pain points! Most consumers aren’t interested in the specific features of your product or service, they care about how you solve their problems and make their lives better.
- By leaning into your unique point of difference, emphasising how you solve the problem, and learn from competition rather than being reactive to their actions…you turn competition into insights rather than something to fear
Competition is Proof of Demand
When other businesses exist in the same space as you, it means that customers are already searching and spending to try to solve their problems.
So while we often think scarcity in the market is good, as it makes it easier to increase your marketshare, we don’t necessarily want this, as it could also indicate a lack of demand. The goal should be relevance in solving our target customers’ painpoints.Particularly through the lens of “What do we do that they can’t?”
In the world of digital marketing, this starts with data. Utilise SEO tools to uncover what your audience is actively searching for and where their unmet needs lie. Keyword research and Google Search Console insights showcase exactly what consumers want and are looking for.
The Market Differentiators
Before we dive into how to stand out in the market, it helps to understand what actually drives differentiation. At Omni Online, we look at it through three simple lenses:
- What do you do well?
- What do your competitors do well?
- What do consumers actually want?
The main priority for any brand should be to focus on what you do well, and what your consumers actually want. This is where you focus on your own unique value proposition to solve the pain points of consumers, thereby strengthening your own position in the market.
The opportunity in the market lies in the intersection of all three areas, where you can learn from your competitors, identify what’s working (or not) in the market, and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Each section of this blog builds on one of these circles to help you find, strengthen, and communicate what truly makes your brand the best choice in the market; from defining your unique selling point to studying competitors and refining your brand experience.
What Do You Do Well: Finding Your Unique Selling Point
In a crowded market, the only way to stand out is to first know what your brand stands for, and who you’re competing against.
This is why we encourage every brand to have an “Only We” statement, whereby you define who you serve, how you’re different, and why that difference matters.
“For [persona] who [pain/outcome], we are the only [category] that [unique payoff] because [credibility/proof].”
For example:
“For [eco-conscious homeowners] who [want energy-efficient solutions without compromising design,] we are the only [solar provider that integrates architecture and sustainability seamlessly,] because [our engineers collaborate directly with in-house designers on every install.]”
By utilising this type of statement, you’re forcing clarity, and turning a vague “we do/sell x” claim into a clear point of differentiation and unique selling point.
Once you have this, it’s important you lean into it.
What we mean by this is don’t just define your differentiator, but embed it into everything you do. Let it guide your:
- Messaging
- Visuals
- Customer experience
- Offers positioning
- Campaigns
- Strategic decisions
We want every touchpoint to reinforce your “Only We” statement, as it should be a compass rather than a one and done tagline. When you’re able to consistently communicate your brand’s “why” and “how” across all channels, you become unmistakable in your value and mission.
To amplify “what you do well”, digital marketing channels such as Google and Meta Ads help you showcase your strengths directly to the audiences already searching for or interested in your offer. Paid campaigns should reinforce your unique differentiator; using clear ad copy, creative, and landing pages that consistently reflect your “Only We” statement.
Make Your Brand and UX the Differentiator
Even if your products or services are similar to your competitors, your brand experience can be the component that sets you apart.
This goes beyond just aesthetics (which, don’t get us wrong, is also important); focus on clarity and flow.
A website that feels effortless for the user to navigate communicates trust before a word is even read.
Your website should show why you’re the best choice in the market. It’s essential that you highlight the problems you solve, the transformation you create, and the proof that backs it up.
An exceptional user experience will always help you stand out in a crowded industry.
From a digital web development lens, showcasing what you do well means designing with intent, and creating user experiences that not only look beautiful but perform well. Strong UX and conversion-focused design, supported by behavioural data like heatmaps and analytics, reveals how users engage with your brand and where you can optimise to drive results.
What Do Your Competitors Do Well: Steal Their Lessons, Not Their Ideas
Your competitors are your free market research, so study them! Not to copy them, but to learn. Look for their weaknesses and for their blind spots:
- What are customers complaining about in reviews?
- What parts of their website or UX feel clunky?
- Where are they overpromising and underdelivering?
Being aware of your competitors’ weaknesses allows you to identify a hole in the market where your customers’ pain points aren’t necessarily being solved. Which allows you to be the brand in the market to solve them. In doing so, you’re able to further enhance your point of differentiation in the market.
However, it is still important that you only do so if it aligns with your brand and enhances its USP.
When you can identify your competitors’ weaknesses, and fill those gaps in your offerings, it becomes clear why consumers should choose you over them, which helps dissolve that fear of competition.
Tip: Make competitor research a monthly task, so that you can act strategically, rather than reactively from a state of panic once they’ve exceeded your point of differentiation.
Competitor analysis is easier than ever with digital marketing tools such as Meta Ad Library and SEMrush, which allow you to see what campaigns competitors are running, what keywords they rank for, and which content earns the most engagement. Social listening also showcases how audiences respond to your messaging, giving you insights into “What you competitors do well” and where opportunities lie for your brand.
What Do Your Customers Want: Sell the Solution, Not the Features
Your consumers have pain points that they’re seeking to solve, whether or not they actively are searching for the solution, or even know they have the problem.
Brands who fail to be competitive are the ones who only highlight their benefits and features, rather than leaning into the solutions.
If you want to stand out to consumers, highlight the problems you solve. Because consumers want relief from their pain point, they want their problems solved. Most consumers don’t care for your product or service’s features. The brand they purchase from are the ones who solve their problem for them better than anyone else.
So if you don’t highlight the problems you’re solving, consumers will simply go to the competitor who is.
Think of a camera brand, while most brands may focus on the features:
“Our camera has 24 megapixel sensor, 4K video, and advanced autofocus”
While these features are important to highlight, they don’t emotionally connect with the customer or show why they matter. Hence these features shouldn’t be the main focus or lead selling point.
Rather, if you reframe and sell the solution, more consumers will connect:
“Capture the moments that really matter with stunning clarity, even in low light, so your memories look just as real years from now as the day you lived them.”
This second version turns a list of features into a story about what the product enables, speaking to emotion and outcome, rather than just the technical specifications.
So speak directly to their problems! Utilise clear, human language that connects outcomes to emotion.
When you communicate why what you’re offering matters, rather than just what it is, your offer becomes a no-brainer, particularly when compared with competitors who don’t do so.
To understand “what consumers want”, we recommend monitoring audience data through Google Analytics, Meta Insights, and search behaviour. Social media engagement and ad performance metrics reveals what messages your audience resonates with the most. These insights allow you to tailor your content and campaigns towards the solutions and emotional benefits, not just product features.
Final Thoughts
Competition shouldn’t be a panic for brands to exit (or not enter) a market… it’s in fact a sign that demand exists, and people who will buy what you’re selling
Rather than worrying about when your competitors are next discounting, and launching into reactive strategies, use those resources to refine your messaging, perfect your user experience, and strengthen your brand positioning.
When your brand knows exactly who it serves and why it exists, and can clearly communicate this, competition merely becomes something you need to study for market insights.
If your brand is spending more resources reacting to competitors rather than leaning into or forming your own unique positioning, let’s chat. Book in a Free Digital Alignment Call with our team!
