How do you set yourself apart from you competitors?

How do you communicate that you’re different from all of the other photographers or wedding planners in your area?

 
The truth is, a lot of wedding professionals are not communicating how they’re different from their competitors and if you don’t differentiate yourself from your competitors, the only choice potential clients have is to compare you based on price. That makes you a commodity and that’s the exact opposite of what you want.

Let me ask you this: What brand of sugar do you buy? Do you fill up your car at the closest gas station or do you seek out a particular brand? When you moved into your home, did you choose your utility providers based on price comparison?

All of these are commodities. It’s easy to compare them based on price because there is no real differentiating factor. If you are not emphasizing why someone should hire you over someone else and if you don’t understand the value (that’s where the benefits come on) you deliver to your customers and what they actually care about, you’re allowing yourself to become a commodity. They don’t know what else to ask you because you haven’t built any connection or demonstrated your value to them.

And I know it’s frustrating, but humans compare things – it’s in our nature. When all people have to compare is price, the person who is undercutting you is going to win. You have to give them something more than that to make their decision on. You have to demonstrate that you understand them by marketing to their values and showing them how you can help them get what they want. And that my friend, is where your brand comes in.
 

Let’s take this outside of the wedding industry for a moment. I want you to look at these 2 logos and pay attention to what immediately comes to mind for each of them.

What words come to mind for each of them? How do they make you feel? Which one are you drawn to?

These companies seem SO different, and they are, but really what separates them comes down to just 1 thing.
 

Their brand.

 
They attract different people and have different business models. Walmart’s business model is built on selling a LOT of things to a LOT of people across their bajillion stores that have popped up everywhere at very low prices and Whole Foods’ model is built on selling fewer things to a specific type of person in urban areas at premium prices.

The experience of shopping at Walmart is different than shopping at Whole Foods on purpose and there is a reason why people are willing to spend so much more money at Whole Foods than at Walmart. The way each of these brands makes you feel is intentional and the brands that they have developed are why people don’t see them in the same light even though they’re both just supermarkets.

But branding isn’t just for massive companies like Walmart and Whole Foods. Developing your brand is exactly what you need to do in order to set yourself apart from you competition, become the go-to person for your ideal client and be able to command higher prices despite what others are charging.
 

Sounds pretty amazing right?

 
So you have a choice to make.

Will you continue to fight tooth and nail for every client and lose potential clients to the lowest bidder?

Or do you develop a brand that brings clients, who are willing to pay your prices, to you because they don’t want just any photographer or a planner, they want you?
 

If the latter sounds better to you, I invite you to join brand strategist Amanda Shuman and I for a workshop all about how to develop your brand on March 14th 2017.

 
After attending this in-depth workshop you’ll be able to…

• Find clarity on what your ultimate business goals and vision is for your company
• Discover who your ideal client is and create a brand that attracts them
• Position yourself in a niche market so you stand out from your competitors
• Refine your business message in a way that resonates with your audience and positions you as an expert and the go-to person for your ideal client

And since this is a live workshop, you’ll be able to ask all of your questions so that you can hit the ground running afterwards.
 

Sound like something that would help you? Click here to get all the details and save your spot!