How do I make my business stand out from the competition?

The uncomfortable truth about differentiating yourself online

First, if you think about personal finance, who comes to mind? You have the big names like Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey. Then you have other people who are primarily online like Mr. Money Mustache.

If all you say is, “Hey, save 10% of your money and sign up for my newsletter,” why would I? Other people say the same thing. They have more experience, they have a better looking website, and maybe they’re more attractive. Who knows? But it’s an uphill battle.

Instead, I took a different perspective on the whole space. I said, “Look, keeping a budget and telling people to stop spending money on lattes doesn’t really work.” It was a different philosophy, and I started writing accordingly.

That gave me a different writing style.

I had a certain voice. I used curse words. I made fun of people. I used examples like going out to a bar.

That doesn’t resonate with certain audiences. They left, but other people became more attracted.

Lastly, you can target a different group than normal.

I was targeting young people who were slightly more affluent and wanted to live a Rich Life. They have a very different language and philosophy than a Midwestern couple with three kids does.

Compare me to someone like Mr. Money Mustache.

He talks about saving 60 to 70 percent of your income. His audience is very different than my audience. We have different philosophies, and we’re certainly using different styles.

So finance is one example.

An industry like fitness has so many more examples.

We don’t just have weight loss. We have weight loss for women and weight loss for women who just had a baby.

There’s also “scrawny to brawny” on how skinny guys can get muscle on them. And there’s Weight Watchers.

There are a million different ways to market the same thing. And we cover a lot of these positioning distinctions in our Call to Action course.

Dare to be unique

The key for you is to step back. Don’t think about what you want to tell the market. Go look at what the market is actually doing.

So if you’re in personal finance, make a little map. Who’s out there?

• Frugality
• Earning more
• Getting out of debt
• And much more

List them, break each down, and see where you have a unique perspective. Then make sure your copy and philosophy align with that.

All of this can seem a little arcane, so I want to give you one more example from one of our graduates.

Sarah Jones is in the relationship and dating space. If you think about relationship and dating, what are the first things that come to mind for online businesses in this space? For me, it’s scammy, sleazy, pushy, pickup.

She took a totally different approach.

She targeted an audience that was typically different than the usual: introverted men.

Then she focused on how she wrote. It wasn’t pushy and it wasn’t pickup. She wrote as a woman helping men become better at dating. It was much more calm and deliberate.

Why? Because that’s her style. And it appeals to her audience.

Stand out from all the noise and build a profitable business

You can appeal to your audience no matter what your market is. Whether it’s fitness, weight loss, dating, writing, or personal finance, a crowded niche isn’t a bad thing. It’s a sign of a healthy market and a huge demand.

The key to avoid becoming just another face in the crowd is to nail your positioning.