Remember back in the ’90’s when Pass it On cards were all the rage? There were literally thousands of them to choose from, all filled with your choice of positive, upbeat sentiments, or humorous sayings. For a time I was a buyer for a small book and gift store and we had a rack of them that I kept well stocked. Over the three years that I managed that store, I personally collected upwards of a hundred of those little cards myself. Now, nearly 15 years later, I have one that has stuck with me because the message on this card truly resonated with me, both on a personal and professional level. It reads…
“Never be content with someone else’s definition of you. Instead, define yourself by your own beliefs, your own truths, your own understanding of who you are and how you came to be. And never be content until you are happy with the unique person you are.”
Anyone who knows me will undoubtedly agree that I have followed this advice in my personal life, though of course, I’m still a work in progress. But as I mentioned, this quote also resonated with me on a professional level, and today, as part of my marketing consulting business (Griffimages Photography & Design, LLC, dba Colorado Marketing Chick), I stress to my clients that it’s absolutely imperative they identify what makes their business unique from other similar businesses. In marketing lingo, this is referred to as your “value proposition” or “differentiator“, and it is what will help your business develop brand loyalty. This is especially important for small businesses with limited marketing budgets who don’t have the funds to advertise everywhere and saturate the market. Of course, this only works if you have first determined that your unique attribute is something that resonates with your prospective customer.
So, as we all struggle with the concept of making our new year’s resolutions, might I suggest that if you haven’t already done this with your business, or haven’t done it in a while, that you allocate some resources in the coming weeks to identifying, defining, and refining just what differentiates your small business from the next, and then finding the most cost-effective methodology for communicating that to your prospective customers. If you don’t feel you are equipped to do this on your own, then give me a call. I believe you’ll find that your ROI (return on investment) will be worth your while.