The Art of Differentiators: Leveraging Your Firm's Strengths to Create a Powerful Brand Story

The following contains lessons from “What’s the Story and How to Tell It” by talkStrategy with Laura Hotten, Kristine Smith, and Tina Dunk

Words are a powerful commodity. These little symbols convey relationships, language, and stories. As marketers, our goal is to harness this power to communicate the value our firm offers to prospective clients and positively impact our bottom line. We can accomplish this by creating a brand story for potential clients.

Before we explore the art of brand storytelling, let’s try a quick exercise. Brainstorm at least 15 words that you’ve used in the past month to describe your firm. These can be words from social media, SOQs, brochures, or your website. Write these words down on a list.

Have your list ready? Cross off every word you’ve seen a competitor use to describe their services. What’s left? If your list isn’t completely gone, congrats – you may have a differentiator or two on your hands. If you crossed out every word on your list, don’t stress just yet.

The sad truth, my marketing-minded friends, is that your services are much like those your competitors provide. If you use descriptive words that everyone else in the A/E/C industry uses, you’re not revealing your firm’s unique appeal for clients, and your efforts might not make you stand out as much as you think. The need for a differentiator is critical and something our friends at talkStrategy shared with us at the Coffee Talk on Feb. 8.

Defining Differentiators

So, what’s a differentiator? The term is sometimes used synonymously with “unique,” but it’s a little more specific. According to a Hinge Marketers report, differentiators are truthful, relevant, and provable. Consider what factors are critical to your audience of decision-makers. Who are your targeted decision-makers? It depends, but as talkStrategy likes to point out, they might not always be the same thing as your audience. For example, sometimes you’ll want to influence the group that has the executive’s ear as much as you would the executives.

Find Your Differentiator(s)

When you consider how many other firms do what you do, you can likely think of a few places in your region where your clients could go for the same services. Unfortunately, your firm can’t be all things to all people. That’s why it’s critical to identify a differentiator and use it to your firm’s advantage in your messaging. Zero in on what your firm does well and let that inform your brand storytelling. Look through testimonials and referrals and talk to leadership to discover the characteristics of your firm that retain or convert clients.

Tell Your Brand Story

Now that you’ve discovered the power of a differentiator, try incorporating one into your brand story. For example, let’s say a firm’s website header reads, “We are trustworthy with family values.” That’s not a bad start, but what if instead it read, “We have met every deadline for 10 years. You’re part of the family.” This level of indisputable candor shows your client that you’re trustworthy and transparent. You don’t have to connect the dots for a potential client: they undoubtedly want on-time services.

You can tell a cohesive brand story by incorporating powerful differentiators into your branding. Ultimately, winning differentiators change how prospects identify with your firm and services and help convert prospects into loyal clients. 

by Michelle Rohrbough, KFW Engineers