You’ve got a hot cup of coffee in hand, about to do the infamous morning scroll ☕. You know you shouldn’t — all it leads to is comparison, questions, and overwhelm. But still, you can’t help peeking into the business next door and seeing what they’re doing. You tell yourself it’s for market research, but you secretly know that comparison gremlin lurking in your mind feeds off this stuff. And she’s hungry.

Comparison is normal. It’s part of being human. It comes with running a business. Yes, it sucks, but it also shows you care and want to be reaching your full potential. However, sometimes this comparison can get out of hand and you find yourself overwhelmed, constantly questioning and comparing yourself to others. Obviously, this isn’t conducive to creating a business you love!

While there’s no secret pill to stopping comparison, there are things that minimise its impact and lessen its sway over your mindset. The biggest of these is knowing your brand better. More specifically, knowing what makes your brand different.

What is brand differentiation?

Brand differentiation is how your business sets itself apart in the market by highlighting what makes it unique compared to others in your industry.

It ensures you stand out in the market because it positions your business as one of a kind.

How do you differentiate your brand?

Multiple things will contribute towards your brand’s uniqueness: your story, personality, voice (& more).

But, at Cupid Copy, I ensure every client has one key difference we can highlight, amplify, and leverage in your website copy and brand messaging.

Why your brand needs one key differentiation

In a world of personal brands and multi-hyphenates, it might feel counterintuitive to hone in on one key brand differentiation.

“People will buy from me because of me! I’m the USP of my business! There’s no one who does what I do like I do!”

These are all claims I’ve heard a lot in the website copywriting and business world. While I agree with them to an extent (you are wonderfully unique, yes! But people are offering nearly identical services as you —we all exist in a saturated industry!), this isn’t enough to set your business apart.

The truth is, with so much noise online and competition in your industry, people won’t remember you for your winning smile and charismatic personality, especially if they just met you. Maybe if you meet once or twice. But, then you run the risk of them remembering you for the wrong reason, aka something completely unrelated to your brand or offer.

Remember Jane? Oh yeah, that lady with the lovely shoes!

Sure, it’s good they’ve remembered you, and it’s earned you a few points for your visibility, but ideally we want them to think,

Jane? Oh, the lady who plans gorgeous whimsical weddings for couples in Colorado, she’s your go-to for an intimate wedding or elopement in the mountains.

Remembering you this way (with specificity relating to your services and expertise) is how you become referrable.

The modern consumer has a short attention span and is guilty of seeing things in one dimension.

Jane = Colorado wedding planner for intimate elopements in the mountains

Jasmine = Website copywriter for creatives looking to turn their website into their #1 sales tool

While I’d love for you to know I’m passionate about women in creative businesses, have over 100+ 5-star reviews (humble brag), and offer two website copywriting services, I know that’s a lot to ask. You’re a busy woman!

And if you just remember, oh Jasmine? She’s a website copywriter for creatives, that’s golden. I don’t ask for much!

If you expect your audience to remember too many things, they’ll feel overwhelmed and remember nothing (or the wrong things — cute shoes, remember?)

Instead, you need to differentiate your brand using 0ne key difference and repeat this across your messaging, marketing, and website copy.

Repeat until you’re sick of hearing yourself talk about it.

Ways to differentiate your brand

We’ve established that you need one brand differentiation to focus on. But with so much uniqueness in your brand and business, how do you establish what this is?

There are a few ways I recommend differentiating your brand. Remember, you might relate to multiple of these, but you need to consider what makes the most sense for you and your ideal client/customer — what are they looking for in the brands they buy from?

Your brand story

Do you have a super unique brand story? I’m not talking about the yawn-worthy 9-5 to creative business arc 🥱, but a story no one else can tell; a story that stands out from others in the industry, grabs attention, and inspires reliability with your audience.

Your heritage/origin

Heritage brands are usually one of very few left from their time. Naturally, this means there’s no other brand still in existence like yours, and its origins feel unfamiliar and novel to your modern audience — leverage this and use it to build trust,

Client/customer experience

Do you offer a completely unique customer experience compared to others in your industry? Put this front and centre as your brand’s key differentiation.

Remember, you can’t just say you have exceptional customer service (most do), you need something tangible that actually sets you apart and enriches your customer’s experience.

Rebelling

Think of the most divisive public figure you know. I guarantee they have a party of people who despise them and a group who obsess over them. That’s the power of being different and standing against the grain. Rebelling against how things are usually done in your industry is a surefire way to build a reputation and become known. But remember, this also means opening yourself up to potential hate and criticism.

Brighten up your DULL industry

Have you ever seen an accountancy firm with colourful branding and bold af website copy? They automatically stand out and grab your attention, right? That’s because we associate these brands with being traditionally dull, corporate, and run-of-the-mill. So, when someone injects something a bit different, we can’t help but listen. It’s simple science of shocking and surprising to exceed our expectations, but damn it works!

Obviously, this only works for brands we expect to be dull [think: accountancy, insurance].

At Cupid Copy, I have 9 ways to differentiate your brand. During your brand messaging experience, I’ll establish your best-fit differentiation strategy and implement this across your message and your custom website copy. To learn more about this experience and how you can successfully differentiate your brand with my help, click here.