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Brand differentiation involves setting your brand apart from the competition, and it’s one of the most important branding goals. You want to plant the perception in the minds and hearts of existing and prospective customers and clients that your brand is different from and better than the alternatives. Otherwise, people have no reason to do business with you instead of one of your competitors.

To differentiate your brand, find or create a unique selling proposition and a value proposition. A unique selling proposition (USP) is a statement about what makes your brand different from and better than competing brands. A value proposition is a clear statement of the tangible benefits of your products and services.

Here are a few ways to differentiate your brand with USPs and added value:

 Narrow your target demographic. New brands may not be able to win a war against bigger, well-entrenched brands, but they can win some battles to gain a foothold and start building momentum. Narrowing your target demographic enables you to differentiate your brand in a smaller market.

 Create a different price point for a popular product. Notice that I said different, not lower. Your price may be lower to appeal to the budget-conscious or higher to appeal to the quality-conscious. Don’t start a price war with well-established brands. Why not? Well, for one thing, you’ll lose, and in the process, everyone in your industry will lose because you’re all trying to undercut one another.

 Focus on customer service. Promising and delivering superior customer service is a great way to differentiate your brand when your brand is nearly identical to competing brands.

Differentiation is all about creating a market niche, as explained in Chapter 2.