Karen Post, also known as Branding Diva and author of Brain Tattoos: Creating Unique Brands That Stick in Your Customers’ Minds is giving advice in a Fast Company article on how to distinguish your business from the competition..

Based Jack Trout’s notes in his bestselling book Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition that:

choosing among multiple options is always based on differences, implicit or explicit. Psychologists point out that vividly differentiated characteristics anchored to a product can enhance the public’s memory of it because they have added uniquely to the mind of the consumer, the product thus appreciating intellectually. In other words, if you are promoting a product or service, give the consumer a reason to choose it.

the article is presenting 10 ways and examples to help discover points of difference for your brand:

1. Have a distinct name and graphic identity.
2. Take something ordinary and make it a unique product offering.
3. Pick a passion.
4. Go against the grain. Turn a tradition on its head and create a strong point of difference.
5. Connect to a psycho niche.
6. Make small things important.
7. Leverage something from your history.
8. Combine things are not usually combined.
9. Make ingredients important.
10. Tap a new sense.

Read full article here