This is the time of year to keep your heads down and blinders on, away from other elderberry entrepreneurs and what they say/do online. Their messaging is crafted in a way to drive leads and convert sales. All the time, we see makers say <this> about why their <insert thing> is better/the best.
It might be better. Or it might not be. What you need to know is that everyone is selling the features and benefits of THEIR product. It’s ALL marketing.
Most makers look at their local competition and create ways to prop themselves up over others. Some hire marketing firms/agencies to help them do it as well. They feel that it’s leverage. They’re writing content to persuade the reader why their…
- Subspecies of berries are better
- Whether they are fresh, frozen, or dried berries are better
- Why their specific way of making it is better
- Why ingredients that come from one particular geographic area is better than another
- Why the way they offer it is better
- Why a higher or lower mg/serving is better
Don’t get hung up on what another maker claims. Here’s what you don’t know:
- If THEIR CONSUMER cares
- If YOUR CONSUMER cares
- If it’s RELEVANT
- If there are TRADEOFFS the maker doesn’t yet know about / care about
- If it has the intended BENEFIT consistently over time
- If it tastes good
- If it’s TESTED
- If it’s PROVEN and STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT
- If it is ACTUALLY moving the needle on their sales
Yes, the maker will say “other makers do this..I don’t, and here’s why” to alert a consumer that the other way is less-than, in an effort to persuade them to consider their product over another.
Just because it’s marketing, doesn’t mean it’s true, safe, or holds merit in the eyes lf the consumer.
One of the best ways to know why someone ACTUALLY buys from you is to ask them, explicitly. 9/10 times it’s NOT about the nitty-gritty of your product – that’s where makers get hung up in their effort to sell more. It’s about YOU and the value YOU bring to your customers. Your customers might want a product that works consistently and tastes great. But that’s table stakes. They want YOU and everything else you have to offer that might not even have a price tag.