Marketing Minute - Differentiating Your Brand and Why it Matters

Imagine you’re the consumer for a moment – and you’re in the market to hire a sanitation service for your office building. I’m going to share a scenario centered around two companies that you researched online, so you can see how effectively differentiating your brand from the beginning matters when closing a sale.

You browse the websites of two well-known sanitation companies, and here’s what you find:

Company A:

• Charges a flat fee of $5,000 per month for monthly services Monday-Friday

• Has additional package add-ons that range from $250-1,000 per month

• Receives great reviews online, including 4.2 stars on Yelp

Company B: 

• Charges a flat fee of $10,000 for monthly services Monday-Friday 

• Doesn’t list clear service or package details regarding prices 

• Receives great reviews online, including 4.8 stars on Yelp

After an initial review, you’re leaning towards Company A. The price is much better, the reviews are similar, and most importantly, you see that you can add on a few additional services that your business requires.

Before hiring them, you decide to email both companies to outline the services you need and receive a quote. Here’s what you find out:

Company A – After listing your required monthly services, Company A sends you a quote for 11,750 per month. You discover that their base monthly package only included three services. 

Company B – On the contrary, Company B sends you a quote for $10,500 per month. While not made clear online, most of your requested services are included in their base monthly package. 

What we’ve learned:

Transparency works both ways – and the more details that you can share to differentiate your brand, the better. Company A chose to list their lowest base price, which accommodates the budget buyer looking for cheap yet effective services. Company B however chose to package their services as a comprehensive bundle, but did not clearly explain what’s included and how they are providing many business deals while maintaining quality. 

Keep in mind, knowledge is power as a consumer. The more information you can share while marketing your product, the better consumers can differentiate from competitors and make an informed decision.