One thing I remember vividly from my time spent working in the fitness industry is how saturated the market was. There wer (and still are) endless resources of personal trainers, group fitness trainers, nutrition coaches, etc. However, back then, we were really only competing locally. Now, you’re competing with virtual PT, online coaches, courses, apps and more. It was frustrating, to consider how to attract clients when they had so many other options. There are only so many friends and family you can take on.
Fast forward to now, I’ve been in the design industry for 5 or so years, and guess what, it’s saturated AF too. Sorry to tell you, but almost every industry is. So, how do you stand out? How do you make yourself the go-to in your industry?
It all boils down to differentiation.
What can you offer your audience that is different from your competitors, that enhances their experience of your service? Now, this can be something incredibly innovative, like some crazy cool technology that only you have patented, or it can be simple, subtle even.
Let’s take a look at 3 simple ways in which you can differentiate your business from your competitors:
- Visuals. This is probably the easiest way to stand out from your market, as you’ll notice there is commonly visual trends that seem to happen within every market. It’s a quick fix to go bold when the competition goes minimal, just think of the impact that will have on shelves! If you check out the Restore with Lacey project, this is what we did with the visual identity. We took the norm of simple stick figure icons that were in the marketplace and went the opposite direction with a bold, colorful visual identity instead.
- Stand for something. Having a strong purpose behind your business helps you connect with your audience on an emotional level, and that is the level that counts. Let’s look at 2 different shoe companies as an example; both shoe companies provide great quality shoes. However, one company (let’s call it Toms ;)) gives a free pair of shoes to a child that needs them in a third world country, every time it sells a pair of shoes. The other company still provides great shoes, but that’s all they do, they’re selling shoes at the same price, but they’re not out to play a bigger game. So, which one do you give your money to?
- Niche! If you want to be the best at what you do, the easiest step you can take is to specialize. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, you will be more sought after if you’re the best post-partum trainer in your area. Put yourself in your client’s shoes. If you’re a new mum, would you rather go to someone specializes in your situation with an expansive knowledge on the training limits and needs, and has a proven track-record with similar clients, or would you go to a generalist personal trainer who maybe has one other post-partum client and had one unit of education on training new mums maybe 3 years ago? I know which one I would trust more with my new body.
Now, I’m sure you’re asking “why can’t I just differentiate with pricing?” Well, you absolutely can, but I would never recommend you offer yourself as the cheapest option as there is a stigma of low quality that tends to be associated with pricing yourself low and this association can be really hard to shake if you’re planning on growing in the future.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and differentiate your business!
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Dec
