Business and marketing insights from smart founders, researched and handed to you every Thursday.
🧠Think Different Like Uber
|
Let me start today’s newsletter with a simple question: Have you ever wondered why Uber became the go-to ride-sharing app, even though traditional taxis have been around for ages? The difference isn’t that Uber offers the same service. They don’t. Instead, Uber solved customers’ problems in a whole new way. What I mean is, traditional taxis had their issues:
So what made Uber so smart? They fixed these problems with a simple app that lets you book rides easily, see where your driver is, know the exact price, and pay with your phone. This strategy worked incredibly well, and now Uber operates in 70 countries. What happened here is they solved the customers’ problems differently. And it’s called the “Differentiation Strategy.” Well, what’s that? In simple terms, a differentiation strategy means standing out by solving your customers’ problems in a unique way. Instead of copying competitors, you innovate, offering something they don’t. Why does this matter to you? When you offer something special, people who need it will find you. Look at Uber. They made getting a ride easier while regular taxis didn’t change. You can find ways to make your business special too. Even if there are lots of other businesses like yours, you can still come up with new ideas. Uber didn’t try to be just another taxi service. They made getting a ride totally different. You can do this too by finding problems that others haven’t fixed yet. This makes customers stick with you. They’ll remember you as the one who helped them in a way no one else did. So, how can you apply this strategy to your business?
You can start by researching your competitors. What are they doing that your customers dislike? Then, brainstorm ways you can solve those issues in a different (and better) way. I hope this helps you think of new ways to make your business better, even if you’re planning to start one this year. If you need a clear roadmap to create your small business marketing plan for 2025, take a look at my free guide here. Cheers, Minosh. |
TalkBitz Newsletter
Business and marketing insights from smart founders, researched and handed to you every Thursday.
Every business advice article says the same thing. Run a discount. Offer a freebie. Set up a referral bonus. Get people in the door. And I get why it feels right. When you’re just at the starting phase of your business, you need customers, and you figure a little reward will push people over the line. It’s what you see big brands do. So you copy it. Here’s the thing, though. There’s actual science behind why this backfires, and not a small thing either. It’s called the overjustification...
There’s a grey metal box sitting outside millions of American homes right now. It keeps the house cool. It also looks terrible, stuck right in the middle of a patio someone just spent $4,000 renovating. People search “how to hide AC unit outside” and end up with a rabbit hole of ugly $20 plastic covers that somehow look worse than the unit itself. That search, right there, is the business. Here’s the thing. A lot of people hear “sell decorative AC covers” and think it sounds too simple, or...
There’s a guy on Reddit who built a scraper that watches Craigslist for used cars priced way below market. The moment one shows up, he gets an alert. He started flipping cars on the side and eventually turned the scraper into a paid tool. Cool story. But most of us have no idea how to build one. So I started thinking, what’s the version of this idea that doesn’t need any code? And I think I found it. Flipping stuff from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist is a real side hustle. People make a...