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Unique Online Competitive Advantage – Part Two March 20, 2006 |
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Defining Your Unique Online Competitive Advantage In part one of this series I put fourth the idea of the UOCA (Unique Online Competitive Advantage). A Unique Online Competitive Advantage is something that can set you apart from your online competition. The benefits of a UOCA are many, including the fact that it can help increase repeat visits and conversions on your site. Before you can promote your online competitive advantage however, you need to determine and define what it is. Determining what your Unique Online Competitive Advantage is, may not be an easy thing to do. It can be something as simple as offering unique shipping discounts on your site or it could be something that you may not even recognize at first, such as offering online support. While it can be debated that an online competitive advantage may be based on perception, it should be communicated that an Unique Online Competitive Advantage is something that your site offers that should provide more value to your potential customer than that of your competition. To determine your Unique Online Competitive Advantage you need to understand your target market. From demographics such as age and income to shopping habits, understanding your target market is a must. Once you understand your target market you can provide them with something in which they perceive as having benefit to them. In order to provide something that will be perceived as unique by your site visitors - that is distinctive from your competition, you need to be aware of what your online competition is doing. How does their website target the potential customer? How does their product/service compare with your own? As you can see competitive intelligence becomes a necessity. The third thing that is required is simply a competitive advantage. Do you have an offline competitive advantage that can be turned into an online competitive advantage? Does your product offer something that your competition does not? A competitive advantage may take the form of something such as offering a greater selection, unique pricing strategies, targeted promotion, unmatched customer service, unique product offering, creative slogans, and knowledgeable support. The key is to establish an online competitive advantage and keep on top of it. So to recap, in order to define your Unique Online Competitive Advantage you need to:
As marketers, we understand and sometimes overlook the fact that
people are creatures of habit. Due to this fact, once you establish your
Unique Online Competitive Advantage, you must promote it and keep on top
of it so that these creatures of habit will find value from it and
continue to come back to your website. |
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Jody Nimetz