Should you mention your competition in your marketing?
YES – When you do it with good intentions.
Companies that do mention their competition – in a positive or neutral way – stand out.
One way to do this is by adding a comparison article to your marketing mix. It’s good for you because:
It’s good for your customers because:
5% of your ideal customers are ready to buy at any given moment in time. Those people are comparing options NOW.
A comparison article:
When a business is confident enough to publicly compare themselves [diplomatically – NO bashing or bad mouthing] to competing businesses, they are showing customers:
a) You know what differentiates you
b) You acknowledge similarities with competitors
c) You value your customers.
Companies who do comparison articles well want to serve the right customers instead of trying to grab every customer and then sort out the mess when the customer gets angry because they discover it’s not what they need.
Your potential customers will remember how you treated them when they were in the vulnerable buying position. If you recommend someone else because you don’t do or make what they need, that shows you care about them – not the sale. You are rarely the only choice in your industry, so make a great impression even when you are not the right one for them. You never know who they might send your way, because you referred them to a competitor!
Here’s an example of a SaaS [Software As A Service] company with 11 comparison articles driving ready-to-buy people to their site!
Put a comparison article on your website this month.
I dare you to stand out with confidence!
-Melinda