Focus On What You Are Not

The best marketing book I've read is called, "Positioning, The Battle For Your Mind" by Al Reis and Jack Trout. Their main concept is that every market has a dominant player - a company known for being number one.

They say you can't unseat the dominant player. If you try, by going directly against them, you will lose. Rather than challenge the leader (by saying you do whatever better), the smart approach is to talk about what you are not. By talking about what you are not you carve out a niche for your company, giving yourself a good chance to win market share.

Back in the 1980's big cars dominated the auto market. Every year the big cruisers got even bigger. Then the Volkswagen Beetle entered the market. Rather than talking about how they were more fuel efficient, or less expensive, Volkswagen built their campaign around just two words: Think Small.

A small car was a complete departure from the culture of the day. The market had 99 big cars and 1 small car. By saying what they were not, Volkswagen was able to differentiate themselves from the dominant players. The upstart carved out a nice market niche. In terms of total cars sold, it was a small niche. But in terms of their sales, it was a wildly successful campaign.

You can use this approach on your web site. If you're in a market dominated by main players, focus your site on what you're not. You won't win a majority but you may win a loyal following. When facing a superior adversary use your web site to explain what you are not rather than what you are. As crazy as it seems, it just might work.

Internet Man